photo courtesy of Ben at Lifehacksimmediately
In general, I love Ohio. I’ve mentioned before that I am also a huge fan of Cleveland, so my only consolation with this story is that it’s from another city in Ohio. A dry cleaner in Cincinnati has decided to share their opinions regarding abortion via their hangers. RH Reality Check refers to Springdale Drycleaners’ hangers as the “worst marketing decision ever,” and I have to agree that it’s not the best choice. The paper covering the hanger includes a picture of a smiling child, and the words “choose life!” Continue Reading →
How to Not Be Creepy in Public
Recently we had a Krampus event in the town where I live and it was pretty impressive. And yet – in spite of the awesomeness of the larger than life Krampus figures showing children (and adults) what happens when one is naughty or nice – I was dealing with another issue. Not a Krampus, but a Creeper. You see, there was a long procession that involved the crowd of people who had come to see the Krampus actually get to walk along a pathway with the various Krampus and angels. My two friends from work and I were part of the throng. Continue Reading →
The Human Body In Motion
Artist Shinichi Maruyama has found a way to make the human body even more interesting and beautiful: combining thousands of still photos of a nude subject dancing to create a single composite (and safe for work, because all details are blurred out) image. Check it out if you want to see something unexpectedly beautiful. Continue Reading →
Join the Consent Revolution
Last week, two media-savvy feminists launched the Pink Loves Consent campaign. Designed to look just like the actual Victoria’s Secret website, their site sells underwear boasting empowering slogans such as “ask first” and “let’s talk about sex.” Additionally, the home page of their website features a gorgeous plus size woman of color – something that would never happen on the real page. Image courtesy of Baltimore Fishbowl
The website caused quite a stir. In my opinion, creators Hannah Brancato and Rebecca Nagle chose a fantastic way to draw attention to rape culture and attempt to make social change. Continue Reading →
How a Therapist Can Ease Your Separation or Divorce
Aside from Ice-T and Coco (who will always hold a special place in my heart as she and I were both stalked by the same strange man), I seem to be encountering so many breakups, separations, and divorces these days in my personal and professional spheres, not to mention the readers I hear from on a regular basis. Some of these endings are going fairly smoothly. Ohers have taken ugly turns. It doesn’t have to be this way. When a marriage or committed partnership (especially one that’s involved two or more people living or raising children together) comes to an end, it’s common for people to call an attorney. Continue Reading →
Interview With Folklorist Andrea Kitta: Vaccines, Public Health, Risk Perception
Being a folklorist means that whenever I chat with my colleagues, I find that they are researching really fascinating things. Take, for instance, Andrea Kitta, assistant professor of English at East Carolina University. She specializes in in medicine, belief, and the supernatural (and she’s a dancer, like me!). I knew that her book on vaccine rumors had just come out, so I asked if I could interview her for MySexProfessor, and fortunately, she agreed! Jeana: How would you summarize the main ideas in your book for the general public? Continue Reading →
Genitals in the Wild – Holiday Special
I drive by this billboard every day on my way to work. I think I’m reading too much into it, but I’m sure this lovely community of sex geeks can confirm – I’m not just seeing things, right? Happy Holidays and hope you have less-than-silent nights! Continue Reading →
Peaceful Pee
This is a first, at least in my experience – not only have I found a gender neutral bathroom but it’s also sponsored! I’m at the Center for Family Life Education’s annual Sex Ed Conference, and attendees have the option of bucking the gender binary and using the gender neutral restroom sponsored by Pee in Peace. Pee in Peace is an app that helps users locate gender neutral bathrooms, although it unfortunately is only for Ithaca, NY. I’m hoping that more gender neutral bathrooms will start popping up – and maybe with enough attention, Pee in Peace will expand to nationwide. Any thoughts on sponsoring bathrooms? Continue Reading →
5 Ways to Celebrate World AIDS Day
In honor of celebration week, I wanted to write about an important event that just happened this past weekend: World AIDS Day. In case you missed it, or want to keep up the spirit of World AIDS day for all of December, here are 5 things YOU can do to celebrate World AIDS day. Donate (your time and/or money) – Go here to find an AIDS Service Organization (ASO) near you. Give them a call and ask to speak to their volunteer coordinator. You could hand out condoms, make condom packets, work the table at events, or even answers the hotline phones with a little training. Continue Reading →
My Traveling Tradition: A Couple’s Christmas
Every other year or so, my husband and I forgo presents and family gatherings in favor of traveling someplace new together and celebrating the holidays with just the two of us. Although it might seem paradoxical, I love how this practice balances the comfortable predictability of a tradition with the energizing excitement of the unknown. Since we live thousands of miles away from our nearest relatives, it makes the decision a bit easier when the cost of traveling to parents and siblings is often much greater than one of our couple’s adventures. To further reduce the holiday financial burden, we give each other homemade cards on Christmas morning instead of exchanging traditional gifts. My husband’s quite a cartoonist and he makes these wonderful drawings that celebrate the previous year, often reflecting the adventures (local and international) that we’ve had together. Continue Reading →