Bringing up the whole "but being fat is sooooo unhealthy" party line every single goddamn time someone mentions positive body image is so FUCKING obnoxious.

I think I'm going to start using that tactic with all the smokers I hang with during my breaks at work. "But you're a smoker. Didn't you know that's unhealthy. Didn't you know that it could cause lung cancer and emphysema. You must not know that, b/c you're smoking. So I'm telling you how unhealthy it is, b/c you obviously don't know that. I'm just concerned about your health."

Let's see how long it takes for someone to punch me in the face.

So am I the only one that thinks Harvey Keitel is kinda hot?

"In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," magic happens as the characters are busy doing other things -- playing sports, falling in love, nursing broken hearts. And while this is, of course, a fantasy movie, the quiet and potent idea nestled inside it is that there's magic in and around the things of everyday life."

Yes! I love this. Beautiful review, Stephanie. I can't wait to see this movie.

So romance novels are feminist now? And the sex always happens in "loving and communicative relationship"?

I would never read a romance novel, because I have absolutely no interest in them, and there's zillions of other books that I do desperately want to read. But I work in a bookstore and I shelve the romances sometimes, and 'feminist' isn't the first word I think of when I look at them. There's a line of Harlequins with titles like "Billionaire Sheik, Bought Virgin Mistress", "Blackmailed into Marriage", and the like. (I may be making those titles up, but I swear that it's not far off.) There may not be actual "forced seduction" in them, but I would say that the titles hint at that.

I would say that just b/c something is marketed to women doesn't make it feminist. So is Twilight, and it's a total feminist nightmare.

I just wanted to say that I've read Cleolinda's recaps of the Twilight series, and they were about the most hysterically funny things I've ever read on the 'net. I would never read a Harlequin romance, but I would totally read a recap by Cleolinda,if she ever does that.

Also--good to know I wasn't just imagining those Harlequin titles. Although they're so ridiculous, I'm not even sure I could make that stuff up.

Ooh, I remember the Trixie Belden books! My grandma had the whole set in her library when I was growing up and I loved them. It does seem like she had more personality and was more relatable than Nancy Drew--not that I'm dissing Nancy, but she was a little on the too perfect side.

I actually never read the original ND series, but I read the updated paperback series that were out in probably the 80's or early 90's. They had more of a focus on romance if I remember right--there was always a handsome doctor or lawyer or what have you that Nancy had to suspect. I kinda wish that they hadn't glamourized the series so much with all that romance stuff.

Really? Cuz I'm in my 20's and I actually find older men with wrinkles around their eyes quite attractive. Not to mention chubby nerds with a fondness for comics and sci-fi. (By the way, loved the Logan's Run reference in the comments.)

The young studs that come into my store reeking of Axe with their gelled hair and biceps bulging out of their tight T-shirts are not attractive to me in the least. A store full of books and all they buy is a workout magazine and maybe a copy of Tucker Max if they're feeling literary. It makes me want to vomit. Or possibly throw a Krisy Kreme at their heads and tell them to stop taking their looks and muscles so goddamn seriously. Life is about more than body perfection, people.

First your name cracks me up everytime I see it, especially contrasted with all the stuff you post.

Second, your comments are definitely starting to crack me up every time I read them. I'm so sure that if fat people didn't exist then the US would be a total utopia. Uh huh....

I wouldn't say that, but you are kinda a douchebag, man. Just sayin'

This post demonstrates for me one of the huge issues I have with contemporary feminism (although I am definitely a fan of feminism overall.)

Many feminist bloggers and theorists these days seem to have such disdain for absolutely any kind of scientific research or evolutionary theory ("Darwin" is practically a dirty word) that may possibly say something with social implications that they don't like.

I would say that scientists are not trying to dictate social policy, they're simply trying to discover the facts about nature and our biological selves. There's quite the difference between doing research concluding that there may be qualities in semen that prevent depression in women and saying "oh by the way, now all couples must have sex without condoms if they wish to avoid being miserable!"

Let's be grownup about this--I picture some feminists going 'lalalala I can't hear you with their hands over their ears' everytime some scientific study on gender or sexual activity is performed. It frustrates me, because I feel that it undermines feminists' credibility.

No one would deny that social structure plays a huge role in human behavior, but we are biological creatures, not androids, so it makes sense that our biological drives would also have some effect on our lives. It just seems silly to deny that. There are definitely individual variations and people are more than just their bodies, but c'mon...learning about ourselves and our world should never be painted in a negative light.