“What’s the point in feminism if I can’t shave my legs when I damn well want to?” — S. Camus

BEING A SIREN

FemiNoshing: Living In a Food Desert

Everyone from MeMe Roth to Michelle Obama is worrying about America’s so-called obesity crisis. But what if the cheapest and most easily attainable food in your neighborhood is junk food?

By A.K. Whitney

I moved into my first apartment when I was 27. I had just graduated with my master’s degree and gotten my first full-time job as a reporter. I was finally a grown-up, albeit a grown-up with high expenses (student loans) and a low salary (I worked for a newspaper). … MORE

NEWS BLOG

Sirens Briefingpowerful

A look at the latest headlines that make us go, hmmm …

It’s kind-of a “duh” thing, but we’ll state our unwavering support for Carla Bruni-Sarkozy anyway: After speaking out against the stoning of a mother for adultery in Iran, the French First Lady endured attacks from the country’s state-run newspaper, calling her a “prostitute” who “deserves death.” Well, the name-calling says it all, doesn’t it? Really, calling somebody a slut? You couldn’t do any better than that, Iran?  … MORE

SOAPBOX

Is It Really ‘The End of Men’?

By Lily Blau

Smart women once held the magazine in high regard, but lately it’s been sinking to sexist levels. MORE

LIT

Sirens Read: Jennifer Belle

Mom-lit takes a hilarious turn in Jennifer Belle’s topical new book The Seven-Year Bitch, about a woman who loses her Wall Street job and finds herself ambivalent about staying home with her kid, suddenly desperate to fix her nanny’s fertility problems, and — more than ever — irritated beyond belief with her husband. Belle (Going Down, High Maintenance) talked to us about her literary transition from single to married, how the Wall Street collapse affected women differently, and why we should fear the “seven-year bitch.” MORE

FRIENDS & LOVERS

Redefining Love After Baby

By Catherine DeMonte, LMFT

Having a child with someone can bring you closer—but things certainly change forever. Here’s some advice on getting your love-life priorities back on track. MORE

LIT

Searching for Forgiveness

By Athena Williams

A childhood accident left a woman with scars, but it’s the regret in her heart that still needs to heal. MORE