With chic citizens and stunning innovation to spare, New York has clearly proven itself as a fashion capital. But is the city living up to its ambitious title? Although New York’s fashion scene thrives in aesthetic value and skill, the way the industry treats its own is coming into serious question – although, thankfully, improvements seem to be underway! Sara Ziff, former child model and founder of Model Alliance, ... Read More

Trigger Warning: This post contains a description of female genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation, or FGM, is a problem that resonates with women everywhere. What some people may attribute to cultural practice, a ceremony, and a rite of passage, others see as an active form of female oppression. I would agree with the latter. It is an unnecessary, violent act preformed on young women without any medical reasoning or benefits. In ... Read More

Check out this exquisite equation: craft + activism = craftivism.  Craftivism was born in the first few years of the 21st century, surfacing on the Internet in 2003, when the term was coined by Betsy Greer. It involves engaging creativity, especially regarding political or social causes, to help bring about positive change through personalized activism. Projects that are defined as “craftivism” include things like teaching ... Read More

As the centenary of Emily Davison's death approaches, we're reminded of how far we've come over the years, but also of the tough road that still lies ahead for women's rights. Davison was an incredibly prodigious activist in both life and death.  She fought arduously for women’s suffrage in Britain, leading her to be arrested nine times and force-fed a whopping 49 times. Her most infamous stunt involved stepping in ... Read More

Between Houston and Dallas rests a bucolic town, Jasper, with elegant pine trees dotting its landscape and a charming nickname, the “Butterfly Capital of Texas.” However, the town is home to some notoriously ugly racial history – in 1998, three white men killed a black man, James Byrd Jr., by chaining him to a pickup truck and driving around until he was pummeled to death by the town's country roads. Just last year, Jasper ... Read More

Iconic feminist and activist Gloria Steinem will guest star on a 30-minute special on Nickelodeon's news show, Nick News, to discuss the Equal Rights Amendment and women's rights. She'll be joined by host Linda Ellerbee and a group of teenagers for "Are We There Yet? Women's History, Past, Present, and Future," which premieres tonight at 8pm ET/PT. The kids featured on the show bring up the lack of emphasis on women's history and suffrage ... Read More

In a progressive and unprecedented move, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has sworn 30 women into the Shura Council.  The Council, a previously all-male body, is in charge of advising the king on issues that affect Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah amended the council’s statute last month by requiring that 20 percent of the 150 members be women.  King Abdullah’s female appointments mark the first time in Saudi ... Read More

I never thought I’d have to say this, but … does President Obama need to borrow one of Mitt Romney’s binders full of women? Recent appointments for Obama’s second-term cabinet shows a staggering lack of diversity. A now infamous photograph showing the President with his senior advisors – a room full of white men, lounging around in their best business casual – could just as well be a photo of poker night ... Read More

“It’s your favorite number under the O—69!” says Linda Gerard (also known as Linda Fabulous, cause she is) into her head mic, during a recent Saturday evening at her legendary bingo night at the Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs. I love a dirty joke, especially out of the mouths of senior babes, and the 74-year-old Gerard doles ’em out like my grandma does Werther’s. She also intermittently breaks ... Read More

We all rung in the bright, new year some hours ago, and 2013 is still aglow with newfangled optimism and determined resolutions. It certainly started out on a precarious but positive note for Americans – as we survived two years in a row of apocalyptic predictions and, perhaps more importantly, narrowly averted the fiscal cliff, this year isn’t lookin’ too bad. Therefore, I have a proposition for a New Year’s ... Read More