I just got home from a great visit to Ontario.  A huge “thank you” to the Health, Counseling, and Disability Services folks at Queen’s University. I had such fun sharing my research and learned a lot!

More Talks!

I’m looking forward to going back to Harvard in a couple weeks to give a lecture that’s close to my heart, “A Feminist Defense of Friendship.” It’s got a wonderful message and, equally importantly, it’s the cutest talk I have!  Really!

Then it’s Pomona College on March 27th, the Western Political Science Association the next two days, and the University of Akron for a special Sociology Department Keynote and Commencement Address.  What an honor!  I get to talk about my research on American discourses about “female genital mutilation” and what it can teach us about the future of progressive, multicultural democracies.

Next Year?

This month I got word that I will be on sabbatical next year and I would love to do lots of traveling, so please feel free to consider bringing me out for a visit!  Among the others, I have a new talk I’m dying to work up titled “Hook Up Culture: A History.”  It’s a wild ride through some crazy and surprising American history and explains everything.

New Pinterest Page:

I was inspired by the response to our post on the male neutral — i.e., men and people and women are women (2,000 likes!) — to make it a Pinterest page.  Check out the 48 pins at our Women vs. People board.

In the News:

• It’s always a good day when you can get a discussion of Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of “distinction” into one of the most widely read blogs in the U.S.!  Jezebel re-posted our discussion of the class politics of women’s shoes: High Heels Signify Status, Separate the Classy from the Trashy.

• The BBC quoted Gwen in a story about Rosie the Riveter iconography;
• Minnesota Public Radio covered our post about gender difference and throwing ability;
• and Andrew Sullivan used his blog, The Dish, to help us draw attention to the disproportionate housing of racial minorities and immigrants in non-rehabilitative for-profit prisons.

• Bitch Media also linked to our posts about the racial segregation of Mardi Gras krewe, what rappers are really saying about the police, and how high heels function to privilege already privileged women.

• We also enjoyed being cross-posted around the web.  Our favs include What Rappers Are Really Saying About the Police at Racialicious, Why Some Middle Class Blacks Can’t Get Ahead at PolicyMic and Disability Rights and the International Symbol of Accessibility at The Huffington Post.
• Our post on the sexualized  insult didn’t get cross-posted anywhere.  I think it was all the cussing.

Speaking of…

On the heels of publishing our post calling out the sexualized insult — e.g., “you suck” — Bess S. sent us the following screenshot.  “Note the headline up top,” she wrote.

Social Media ‘n’ Stuff:

Finally, this is your monthly reminder that SocImages is on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest.  Lisa is on Facebook and most of the team is on Twitter: @lisawade, @gwensharpnv, @familyunequal, @carolineheldman, and @jaylivingston.

Tweet of the Month: