Silencing Women ...

Ad says to "make her speechless--for once."

The Y Factor in Late-Night Comedy

Leno, Letterman, O'Brien, Fallon, Stewart, Colbert, Kimmel, Ferguson. Where are the women of late-night comedy? They're not just missing in front of the camera; they're also missing in the writers' room. This article explains why -- and makes the argument that the more diverse the writers' room, the funnier the comedy that emerges from it.

More Dove-Like Advertising

Here is a New York Times article about Special K's marketing strategy for "real" women. Hmm ... I'm of two minds about this. I applaud the company for understanding today's two-way media paradigm (i.e., give your customers a voice rather than handing down prescriptions based on what you think they want). However, the campaign is still aimed at women who are dieting. And the campaign's website, The Victory Project, "features videos of women on a quest to lose weight being coached not just by a dietitian, but by fashion, hair and makeup experts as well."

It would seem Kellogg is focusing on the process of self-improvement, rather than the culture's idealized, and for most women unattainable, result. OK. But isn't it the process of dieting that brings in the money for Kellogg? If women get discouraged by idealized imagery, they give up. If they give up, they won't replace two meals a day with Special K, as the company recommends. I'm not sure this is as progressive as the strategists would like us to believe.

I Wish I Had Known Her

A nice WaPost article about the late Deborah Howell, a pioneer among women in journalism. According to the article, at one time she had competing nicknames in the newsroom: Mother Mary Deborah and The Dragon Lady. There's no winning the gender-expectations game.

I do find it funny when writers present a subject's physical stature in opposition to her/his (usually her) language: "Small and slender, Ms. Howell 'could curse like a longshoreman.'"

Does it seem as if a lot of trailblazers are dying lately? Sad.

From the 2008 Election

Whenever I opened this, Hotmail always made sure I really wanted to open it: "This message might be dangerous." Indeed.

Palin's Newsweek Cover

Just to have it on hand ... sexist or not? My favorite touch is the flag.

Women in Hollywood

As I empty my inbox of various links I've been saving, here is critic Courtney Young's take on women's film roles in 2009. The upshot: Dead women + Twilight.

Nan Robertson Remembered

Betsy Wade's piece about Nan Robertson, an extraordinary journalist and author of The Girls in the Balcony, an account of women's landmark anti-discrimination lawsuit against The New York Times.