Welcome to the age of the Faux Media Apology. Here are some tips and reminders in the event that you need to refresh your understanding of the Anatomy of an Apology. Take note fallen “heroes,” “icons,” and “idols.” As you seek redemption via a carefully-worded, sound-bite-worthy corporate script, master-minded with  focus-group-like precision, and thus guaranteed to win back the favour of your constituents…We, your former trusty supporters and allies, duped, disappointed, yet desperately hopeful, await your strategically-timed remorse-missive delivered through the lens of PR-savvy handlers… But wait. Perhaps you prefer the lucrative, prime-time, blue chip, advertising-sponsored-put your dollars next to…. [ Read More ]

In August, which is like 1000 years ago in media time, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattison broke up because of… QUELLE HORREUR!… an infidelity on the part of Kristen Stewart. I won’t chide you if you don’t know “who” they are because if you don’t know who they are then you win! You win because you’ve successfully managed to steer clear of The Hype and live your life, and not the life the media are encouraging you to live. However, if on the off-chance that you haven’t been sucked into the media vortex of “other people’s lives” permit me to…. [ Read More ]

TIME magazine has taken the “Look Ma, there’s another Ma who’s better than you!” media trope to a whole new level by disingenuously asking “Are You Mom Enough?” So if you’re “just” a mom and you’ve been thoroughly confused by the not-so-subtle subliminal media suggestion that you’re uncomfortable with your parenting choices or what to call yourself other than “mommy” — because apparently calling yourself a mom means that you have unwittingly undervalued and enslaved your womanhood — you’re not alone. Please click through to Mommyish.com to read the full article.      

[The following is a response to a comment I made on xoJane.com to a commenter who asked me to further explain my position on the post that asked xoJane readers what they thought about the ESPN headline that referenced the ethnic origin ofJeremy Lin. I wrote it here because as it turns out, I have a lot to say on the subject]. thanks for your comment marie. i’m not sure what you’re asking, or how to answer you exactly but i’ll take a stab. please bare with me, because there is SO much better and more articulate literature out there…. [ Read More ]

Contrary to popular media culture belief, as the mother of two girl children aged 4 and 6, I do not spend every waking moment of our lives ruminating on the subject of pink politics as it concerns my girls, but the media and certain organizations hell-bent on breaking the so-called mould of stereotypical girlhood would have you believe I do. To date, I have not suddenly become paralyzed with indecision when it comes to choosing pink Lego over non-pink Lego for fear of raising marginalized and/or gender-conforming human beings, nor have I lost sleep over the fact that Mulan now…. [ Read More ]

It would seem that I have a lot to say. Some days it just so happens that I have more to say than other days, and some days it just so happens that I have more to say than most people. I can’t help it. Or more accurately I don’t want to help it. Since becoming a Mother I seem to have misplaced my internal mute button. It’s not that it no longer exists, it’s just that I’ve chosen to disregard it. Mind you, in disregarding it, I have felt stronger and more empowered than I’ve ever felt in my…. [ Read More ]

Please consult the “Forrest Gump” Glossary of terms and explanations if you are not familiar with the title of this piece. It is a well-known American cultural reference.   Once upon a time I worked in an international creative design studio that practiced graphic, product and interior design. My employer*, a man whom many considered “smart” and “successful,” assumed that [most] people were stupid. He never actually said “people are stupid,” but he implied, and applied this theory to his creative practice. In many ways he lived in that rarefied world of privilege. His world was filled with luxury and…. [ Read More ]

Recently a friend posted this on Facebook. 22 comments later, the comments got kind of heated. It’s always interesting to me what ordinary people [like me] think Rich People [like Oprah] should do with their money. I find that the people who are the most vocal about how Rich People can SAVE MANKIND are fairly typical in their suggestions as to what they presume are the most pressing needs in our world. [Suggestions include: save a country, prevent and cure world hunger and thirst; prevent homicide, matricide, and suicide; cure debt, cure illiteracy, cure and decrease infant mortality, end child.... [ Read More ]

Previously I posted about the self-congratulatory beast known as “Celebrity Charity’ism.” I and others have come to the natural conclusion that more than dealing in self-less altruism, increasingly these so-called celebrities are engaging in acts of charity for the sole purpose of boosting their public image, and let’s face it, their already inflated egos. And yes, for each celebrity who is able to lead with her heart and not by the ego which is in/securely attached to her public self-worth, increasingly there are more who do it for audience recognition and because they’ve learned that it’s perceived as the right…. [ Read More ]