Have a little objectification with your lipstick

Nice to see that Superdrug has started stocking a range of Playboy branded cosmetics. Because, y'know, when I see a Playboy model the first thing I wonder is 'Where did she get that great lipstick?'

Feminism declared dead, again

Link in title to an article in the Times declaring feminism dead, again. This comes after comments by Fay Weldon that young women today aren't interested in feminism, and, strangely, from Germaine Greer's new book on Shakespeare's wife. Mr Linklater describes Germaine's portrait of Anne Hathaway as showing:

...a woman of such shining domestic virtue that she would not have been out of place in a novel by Louisa May Alcott, and whose devotion to her husband might well have qualified her as a 16th-century Stepford wife. Where, exactly, does that leave feminism?

Well, what exactly is the problem here? It's always been an important idea within feminism that one of the reasons men have historically been able to dominate is because they have the support and back-up of a wife who can take care of all the boring stuff and household affairs. But what I really don't understand is why our choice of a feminist role model boils down to a two horse race between Princess Diana and Anne Hathaway. Anyone want to explain that one to me?

Seeing red

This article in the Guardian about how men and women might be 'biologically programmed' to like blue and pink had me spluttering over my cornflakes I can tell you, ladies. The reasoning behind it is just so laughable I had to check the date and that it wasn't a spoof submission from the University of Bums on Seats' social sciences division. (http://www.cynicalbastards.com/ubs/)

What is surprising I suppose isn't that this sort of half-baked crap gets kicked around academic departments, but that the newspapers see fit to print it with any level of credibility.

Long time no post - A couple of things

It's been a while since I posted, but here I am again. I noticed a couple of interesting bits of research in the news today, links from the Guardian:

Gender pay gaps could be caused by critical perception of women who negotiate and push for wage increases, rather than women not being assertive enough to ask for more, which is the explanation often put forward. I'm certainly aware of a lack of assertion on my part, I hadn't considered the pressure for me to not to ask in the first place as it might affect how my boss regards me. Have any of you had similar experiences? Do you feel you can't ask for a raise? Do you know if male colleagues earn more or less than you?

Also, research scientists are saying that men and women are naturally drawn to certain colours , which could explain the whole pink and blue thing. Hmmm. Not sure if I like the tone of this article, but anyway...