WOW...the hubby & Ms. are the same age! Well on Friday anyway. *wink*

This anniversary issue is definitely one to pick up. If only for the Wonder Woman cover. It's one of those big pictures made up of smaller pictures. I forget what the term is actually called, but it's nifty & I love it.

What else is 35 this year? Title IX. Yeah, baby. It's really sad that so many people associate Title IX with just sports or even worse with angry pouting wrestlers who want to dismantle Title IX. It is far more than just that and even the most uncoordinated woman can learn to love women's sports. Believe me, I have to be one of the most uncoordinated semi-jocks you'll ever meet. I have no idea how I ever thought I could be a gymnast.

The six-page spread on Title IX covers its history, the gains we have made, and really highlights the way it was essential to increasing women's presence in science & engineering fields. How successful is Title IX? When my dentist saw me reading the article, as I was way high on anesthesia, he started in on 'reverse discrimination'. Yes, I went into my wisdom tooth extraction debating whether or not there is a lack of men in colleges & universities.

There is also a six-page spread on "What have feminism & Ms. magazine meant to you?" Sure we have the expected characters chiming in, Gloria, Whoopi, Alice Walker, and such. We love reading their thoughts, but what I loved best were the quotes from women in organizations that I hadn't heard of before or we don't usually hear from - the second tier feminist celebs. It was also awesome to see organizational comments as well and not just the "leader" speaking.

"Police Beat" is a fabu article on how the women's community came together in Pittsburgh to protest officers who were promoted DESPITE having domestic violence acts in their past. Of course, I know the fabu feminist who wrote the piece, so I'm a bit biased...but it's still a great story, that is still continuing, of women fighting back.

The piece on feminist media was pretty good. Seeing that I'm pretty familiar with the reasons why we need feminist media, it didn't hit me hard. BUT if you're not familiar with the scene, you must read it. Just because we see more and more women on TV reading us the news, doesn't mean we're getting feminist news. Elle magazine also has a piece currently on women in media & beauty standards. Nothing too new, but still a good read.

Martha Burk's column this issue is on women giving to candidates. It makes a lot of sense to think that if we just give more to candidates & PACs, women might have more political power. I just can't totally buy into it. Yes, I think EMILY's List kicks ass, but I'm still pissed about the whole Christine Cegelis snub. I rarely give to candidates, so when I do, it means a lot. Should I give my $50 to a candidate instead of to a non-profit? Not so sure. Should I give $50 to a candidate instead of that nice white dress shirt I bought yesterday? Maybe. But if you saw the state of my other white shirts, you'd buy ME another white shirt. But good food for thought.

There's a great review for what I expect to be a mind-blowing book, "Women Behind Bars: The Crisis of Women in the U.S. Prison System." WBB will dive into our society's obsession with incarcerating people, especially women & women of color. It touches on how racism collides behind bars, the devaluing of women who were involved in sex work, and how expected gender roles are reinforced. I know enough people to get the basic image of what is at play, but I think this book will allow me to learn what I should really know in order to advocate for women, all women, being treated as human beings.

And topping off my review of the magazine is one of my favorite medical providers - Dr. Susan Love. Gotta love a doctor named Love! Along with Sue Rochman, they provide in a short op-ed asking us to question why we, individually & collectively, run to grasp new detection devices for breast cancer instead of focusing on prevention.

The website doesn't have the cover image yet, so I assume that since I subscribe, I have an early copy. So watch your magazine racks and grab it when you spot it.

Technorati tags: feminism, Ms. magazine, Title IX, women in prison

Labels: Books, feminism, magazines