Category: Uncategorized

Men Step Out of the Recession, Bag on Hip, Bracelet on Wrist

Men’s retail sales dropped almost twice as fast as women’s in 2009, but with a jump in accessory sales, the beginning of this year could set a 20-year high for sales growth. Read the full article from the New York Times.

Thinking Allowed

A recent episode of the BBC sociology program Thinking Allowed featured interesting new research on masculinity. “Vomiting, urinating openly, dressing up as women and public nudity – some of the features of the Stag Tour which show a new kind of masculinity, claims new research from Thomas Thurnell-Read. He tells Laurie that far from the …

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What is going on?

Just as I am adjusting to the fact that we are once again discussing whether all women should have access to affordable birth control I am confronted by debates surrounding family and intimate partner violence I thought long dead. As presented here on the Diane Rehm show on NPR this week, conservatives are challenging the …

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Next Fall

Come see Next Fall February 8 through the 11 7pm, matinee February 12 at 3 Tickets are $5 cash and are sold only at the door.  ALL proceeds will go the ‘It Gets Better’ Foundation. ♥ Hope to see you there!!!!! ‘Next Fall’ is a Tony Nominated play by Geoffrey Nauffts. The play revolves around …

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Meryl Streep

Academy Award winning actor Meryl Streep was interviewed on NPR’s Fresh Air this week. In the interview she discusses her career, being a woman “of a certain age” in the industry, and the way in which straight men interact with and perceive films with female central characters. It is really worth a listen.

The Masculine Appeal of Ron Paul

Just a quick link to a great discussion at the Sociological Images blog about the way in which Ron Paul’s campaign plays on masculine themes. Could this explain why he has so much more support among men than women?

Queering the Classic Music World

Hahn-Bin, the 23-year-old graduate of Julliard and protégé of the eminent violinist Itzhak Perlman, wants to wake up the sleeping world of classical music with his own blend of music, fashion, and stage presence.  He told the New York Times, “I have always been a performance artist who sings through the violin.” His boundary crossing …

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Israelis Facing a Seismic Rift Over Role of Women

From the New York Times:  JERUSALEM — In the three months since the Israeli Health Ministry awarded a prize to a pediatrics professor for her book on hereditary diseases common to Jews, her experience at the awards ceremony has become a rallying cry. The professor, Channa Maayan, knew that the acting health minister, who is …

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Should the World of Toys Be Gender-Free?

NOW that the wrapping paper and the infernal clamshell packaging have been relegated to the curb and the paying off of holiday bills has begun, the toy industry is gearing up — for Christmas 2012. And its early offerings have ignited a new debate over nature, nurture, toys and sex. Hamleys, which is London’s 251-year-old …

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Nearly one in five U.S. women has been a victim of sexual assault

Nearly one-fifth of U.S. women have been the victim of a sexual assault at some time in their lives, according to new federal data released Wednesday. In addition, one in four has been the victim of severe physical violence by a boyfriend or husband, according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, which …

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