The Goldilocks Dilemma

A week or so ago, I saw a slide show of “strange plastic surgeries” on MSNBC’s web site.  While I’m pleased that the site listed these procedures as extreme (even “oddball”), I was struck by one thing in particular.  Two of the surgeries were meant to remedy complaints about women’s calves.  If a woman had [...]

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The Pursuit of Happiness?

This is the first post I’ve written that is not tied to one specific popular culture anchor, so forgive me if I’ve already broken our nascent blog’s rules.  Perhaps my heightened awareness of gender issues in pop culture–thanks in large part to Professor Moss’s and my decision finally to start sharing our thoughts with the [...]

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The Cliched, the Bad, and the Ugly: Take Two

Yesterday, Professor Moss vented her ire at the atrocious new film, The Ugly Truth.  Since I barely endured the entire 90 minute movie without reenacting the final scene of Oedipus Rex, I’d like to add a bit more insult to injury here:

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Speaking in Code

Last night ABC gave us the “Men Tell All” episode of The Bachelorette. While the teasers promised myriad secrets would be revealed, no one could have predicted the biggest revelation of all. There, on national t.v., America was introduced to the secret, illuminati-like world of the “man code.”

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Tainted Love

It’s tempting to dismiss movies like I Love You, Beth Cooper as harmless.  After all, it’s getting mixed reviews from critics, and though it grossed $5 million in its first weekend, that only earned it 7th place, barely ahead of Pixar’s Up, which has been out for seven weeks (by comparison, Bruno earned $30 million [...]

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Welcome to the he-cession

In a recent article in Foreign Policy, Reihan Salam argues that the collapse of the global economy is a direct result of what in the 70s used to be called “testosterone poisoning” and that the restructuring of the world’s economic patterns will lead to “the death of macho.” Salam sees the shift of power from [...]

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System Dynamics

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one U.S. state (Colorado) has an obesity rate below 20%.  Americans struggle to lose weight, and the weight loss industry brings in tens of billions of dollars each year.  Weight loss products and programs are largely geared toward women; the social pressure for men to [...]

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The Unbearable Lightness of the Bachelorette, Part II

Professor Moss’s post discussed the insufferability of The Bachelorette‘s protagonist, Jillian.  I want to add a word or two about her would-be paramours.  I noticed several disturbing trends among the bachelors vying for Jillian’s affection:

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A Grill-ish Figure

Perhaps even more than fireworks, the barbeque is the “tradition” most associated with the Fourth of July.  And grilling, apparently, is a man’s job.  The curious calculus that transforms a stereotypically feminine endeavor, cooking, into an uber-masculine pursuit is a topic for another post, but today what I’m thinking about is what we tend to [...]

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