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Keep It Real: Teaching Media Literacy

I’ve written a lot about photoshop and real beauty. I covered it for Gender Across Borders last year, and the article was later picked up by the Ms. Magazine Blog. I wrote about it for Care2 recently, inspired by Fair… Read more ›

June 28, 2012
Ashley
Activism, Education, Fearless Females
Beauty, body image, Education, keep it real, keep it real challenge, media literacy, miss representation, real beauty, spark summit, teaching feminism

Feminist Odyssey Blog Carnival: First Edition

Welcome to the first edition of the Feminist Odyssey Blog Carnival! This month, we’re talking about female friendships, and I’m really excited about it. We’ve got some great entries for y’all and I’m sure you’re just as stoked as I… Read more ›

June 27, 2012
Ashley
Activism
blog carnival, female friendships, feminist odyssey, feminist odyssey blog carnival

Dress Codes: A Symptom of a Gendered Problem

As I was moving a few weeks ago, Jessica Valenti published a fascinating article in The Nation about the dress code at Stuyvesant High School in New York and how school officials use the dress code to target female students with… Read more ›

June 26, 2012
Ashley
Activism, Education
dress code, Education, High school, jessica valenti, students, teaching feminism

Like Small Strokes on Facebook!

Did you know that Small Strokes has a Facebook page? Now you can keep up with all of the latest gender-related lifestyle and education news from Small Strokes (and the stuff I publish elsewhere) on your Facebook timeline! Just go… Read more ›

June 25, 2012
Ashley
Writing
facebook, facebook page, social media

Join the Fight Against Photoshop: The Keep it Real Challenge

I am so sad my Fearless Females aren’t meeting over the summer, because they would be all over this one. Miss Representation is hosting the Keep it Real Challenge, a three day social media onslaught that hopes to change the… Read more ›

June 25, 2012
Ashley
Activism, Fearless Females
body image, keep it real challenge, keepitrealchallenge, miss representation, photoshop, social media

Doofus Dads and Helper Husbands: Here to Stay?

I spend a lot of time on here (and elsewhere) talking about how women – particularly wives – are portrayed in the media. What I haven’t covered in a while is how the media portrays husbands. Sarah Haskins did a… Read more ›

June 24, 2012
Ashley
Activism, Marriage & Family
advertisements, dad, dads, doofus dads, helper husbands, husbands, marriage, media, relationships, television

Terms I Hate: “The Honey Do List”

There are so many terms in our society that people don’t even think about before they say them. They’re colloquial, and their literal meanings are often very different than what the terms have come to mean. As a teacher, I… Read more ›

June 22, 2012
Ashley
Activism, Marriage & Family
home, honey do list, house, marriage, project, projects, relationships, terms i hate

Friendships Change and Grow, Just Like People

Since Tim and I got married, I’ve thought a lot about female friendships, and that’s probably why I chose the topic for this month’s blog carnival. Female friendships is what feminism is all about – helping each other, listening when… Read more ›

June 19, 2012
Ashley
Activism
female friendships, friendships, marriage, relationships, weddings

Thank You, Title IX

My students and I had many conversations this year about equality for women and men in schools. We even had two debates on this subject: one about whether or not toys should be gendered, and one about whether or not… Read more ›

June 18, 2012
Ashley
Activism, Education, Fearless Females
Education, Gender equality, High school, public school, teaching, teaching feminism, Title IX, women's sports

Don’t Forget: Feminist Odyssey Blog Carnival Submissions Due This Week!

This is just a friendly reminder to submit your posts to the Feminist Odyssey Blog Carnival this week. The deadline is WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, so don’t delay! This month, we’re looking for posts on female friendships, but if you have… Read more ›

June 17, 2012
Ashley
Activism, Writing
blog, blog carnival, bloggers, blogs, female friendships, feminist odyssey, feminist odyssey blog carnival

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Life, Love, and Adolescence

I was 20 years old and in undergrad when I first picked up Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The book had been making the rounds among my friends for five years before I finally got… Read more ›

June 16, 2012
Ashley
Activism
adolescence, book, books, feminist lens, High school, mtv, perks of being a wallflower, stephen chbosky

New Project and Guest Post: Our Reality

This is a cross-post from Avital Norman Nathman at The Mamafesto. Her and Carrie Nelson are good friends of mine and they are working on a new project to allow teen moms to share their own stories. This is a… Read more ›

June 15, 2012
Guest
Activism, Marriage & Family
guest post, mother, mtv, our reality, teen mom, teenage pregnancy

Homeownership Agrees with Me

Finally, we’re back online. It took a little while, and a ton of phone calls, but we finally have internet. Apparently, we chose a suburb that is widely recognized as “too far west” for many cable and internet companies. But,… Read more ›

June 15, 2012
Ashley
Marriage & Family
home, homeownership, house, marriage, relationships

I’m a Homeowner!

I still have no Internet and am not even close to being done unpacking, but just a quick update about the house. We own it, and it is awesome. Also, this is my new office. I’m literally going to be… Read more ›

June 10, 2012
Ashley
Marriage & Family
home, homeowner, homeownership, office, picture

Crisis Averted: I Knew It All Along

I love writing. I have opinions, and I think it’s important that I express them, especially because the number of women publishing op-eds in major news outlets is so dismally low. When I presented at the CWWN conference two summers… Read more ›

June 4, 2012
Ashley
Education, Writing
Activism, Education, educator, quarter-life crisis, teacher, teaching feminism, Writing

Submit to the Feminist Odyssey Blog Carnival: First Edition

When I first started in the feminist blogging community back in 2009, there was an awesome feminist blog carnival that I would submit posts to each month. It was a great way to get my pieces read and to find… Read more ›

June 3, 2012
Ashley
Activism, Writing
blog carnival, female friendships, feminist odyssey, feminist odyssey blog carnival

Moving on Up

I’ve been neglecting you again, internets. I have so much to write, and yet I haven’t written anything at all for the past week. I mean, I guess it’s understandable, seeing as I’m going to be a homeowner as of… Read more ›

June 2, 2012
Ashley
Marriage & Family
blogging, home, house, moving, packing, Writing

Our Stories Have Come Together

As happy as I am that the school year is over, I am going to miss these students so much. I’m excited for what this summer is going to bring – new house, new people, new writing opportunities, new adventures… Read more ›

May 23, 2012
Ashley
Education
Education, school, students, teaching

Is Pinterest the Problem?

    There’s an interesting post on the Ms. Magazine Blog today that addresses the root of the issue I brought up about whether or not fashion is feminist. The true issue? Pinterest. Truthfully, I did not address the problematic nature of Pinterest at all.… Read more ›

May 21, 2012
Ashley
Activism
Activism, advertising, everyday activism, ms. magazine blog, pinterest, social media, space

Is Fashion Feminist?

I haven’t been around here for a few days, mostly because I’ve been buried under a pile of papers that needed to be graded. Incidentally, they were some of the best papers I have ever read, but more on that… Read more ›

May 19, 2012
Ashley
Activism, Fearless Females
appearance, fashion, fashionista, feminism, makeup
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