Rape was not explained to me. No one sat me down and told me what it was. When I was a young girl, I heard a news story about a rape in Central Park—the park my school took us to for physical education and recess, so I paid attention. The victim’s face was slashed during the attack—cut with a broken bottle, I think. So for the longest time, I used to think that being raped … [Read more...]
Feminist Rage: 4 Ways White Feminists Continue to Silence Women of Color’s Anger at Racism
Women are angry, and rightfully so. I only have to write the words “Brett Kavanaugh” — a series of events so deeply disturbing in their unmasking of elite frat boy rape culture that I stopped my compulsive news watching for three weeks after — to convey how deeply US women are under attack by the Trump regime. As white women in particular are justifiably encouraging each … [Read more...]
Why Men Need to Be Active in Reproductive Justice
How I Became Pro-Choice I have never made it a secret that for a lengthy period of time in my life, I identified myself as pro-life. For a time, it was a decision related to the Catholic faith I was raised in. Later, even after leaving Catholicism behind, I maintained my position on something resembling a well-meaning, but simplistic ethical basis. I say this with … [Read more...]
The 2018 Midterm Elections Showed: The Future is Women of Color
The recent US congressional midterm elections were a resounding success when it came to electing candidates better representing the country’s remarkable diversity based on gender, race, class, sexuality, and religion. Despite the very real problems of gerrymandering, voter suppression, and outright lying by the Republican party (part of their reactionary strategy to respond to … [Read more...]
Misogynoir: Black Women and Femmes Surviving in the Face of State-Sanctioned Violence
This is supposed to be an essay about misogynoir and the state. For me, state-sanctioned violence against Black women and femmes is an issue that is as hypervisible and super-exploited as it is misunderstood. Long before Black feminist scholar Moya Bailey created the term “misogynoir,” the phenomenon has wreaked havoc on African people worldwide, reinforced by a … [Read more...]
Hair Apparent: Being Brown, Femme and Loving My Body Hair
There is a tumbr post making the rounds on my dash. The first picture in the series is of an Iranian princess Zahra Khanom Tadj es-Saltaneh from the Qajar dynasty. The legend goes - she was considered so beautiful that about a dozen or so men died after she rejected them. The photograph stands in stark contrast to the usual “exotic” representation of Middle astern princesses … [Read more...]
Brett Kavanaugh and #MeToo: What Happened to You Matters
Content warning: discussion of sexual violence and rape culture When I was eight years old, a neighborhood boy who was about 16 was over at my house watching the 1968 version of Romeo & Juliet with me on the VCR in my living room. Apparently my dad let us watch it, something my mom would later excoriate him for, coming from a place of bitter knowledge that women, … [Read more...]
The Cowardice of White Women: Learning to Resist
The Body Is Not an Apology’s goal is to share the myriad ways human bodies unshackle the box of “beauty” and fling it wide open for all of us to access. Our goal is to redefine the unapologetic, radically amazing magnificence of EVERY BODY on this planet. When we do, we change the world! Join the movement and become a subscriber today! bit.ly/NoBodiesInvisible. This article … [Read more...]
Across a Sea of Whiteness: 3 Ways I Connect with Black Women in White Spaces
I’ve been living in a mostly white New England state for over seven years now. Prior to moving here, I spent eight years living in a less-white, but still white-as-hell Midwestern state. I moved to these places for school, and then for a job. For the past four years, I’ve made a conscious choice to stay in this white New England state – even took on a career change to … [Read more...]
We Been Here: Black Muslims in America
The Body Is Not an Apology’s goal is to share the myriad ways human bodies unshackle the box of “beauty” and fling it wide open for all of us to access. Our goal is to redefine the unapologetic, radically amazing magnificence of EVERY BODY on this planet. When we do, we change the world! Join the movement and become a subscriber today! bit.ly/NoBodiesInvisible. When I … [Read more...]
Stop Telling Me That I’m Pretty for a Girl in a Wheelchair: How Your Words Contribute to Violence Against Women with Disabilities
This article originally appeared in Ms.Wheelchair Florida 2014 and is reprinted by permission. Women with disabilities experience the highest rate of personal violence of any group in our society. There are many factors that contribute to this and one factor is self-esteem. Imagine for a minute that you are the average woman – you are told daily by beauty magazines that … [Read more...]
6 Ways Our Fave TV Shows Uphold Gender Norms
As someone who wants to write for television one day, I spend days (binge) watching show after show, teaching myself how to create believable and intricate character development, story arcs, and nuanced narratives. I’ve seen hours worth of incredible and inspiring writing. But, more often than not, I’ve sat through a lot of bad writing. This is especially true when it comes to … [Read more...]
3 Reasons That Women Don’t Need to Say “I’m Sorry” Less — Men Need to Say it More
Many purportedly feminist articles, memes, and other “self-help” type stuff that tells people what to do have been urging women to “Apologize Less!” or “Stop Saying Sorry”. The advice comes from the idea that women should not apologize for things that are not their fault and should be more like men and take up space without worrying about what other people … [Read more...]
“It’s Just a Joke”: Trial and Tribulations of a Female Comedian of Color
Imagine doing something you absolutely love and have wanted to do since you were a little kid. Ten plus years later, you finally build up the courage to do so. For a while, you start seeing some momentum in this craft you love so much, and you start to use it as an escape from the real world. Sadly, you then start to realize that this craft, art, or thing that you love, … [Read more...]
