From Lady Gaga to Bustle.com, it’s been a wild week for women in media. And, of course, the Flavorwire staff took a lot of time to examine the way the media depicts women. Featuring a collection of important feminist cultural artifacts and a critique of the way deceased actress Gia Allemand has been portrayed as a tragic beauty, here’s a roundup of our best pieces this week that all share a common theme.
From 9 to 5 to Virginia Woolf to Salt-n’-Pepa, Michelle Dean’s guide to important pop culture offerings is vital reading for any self-identified feminist (and everyone else, too).
“Applause”: Lady Gaga’s Obsession With Fame Gets Boring
Lady Gaga dropped her new single this week, and it made us wonder: will Lady Gaga’s upcoming ARTPOP allow her to reclaim her status as pop music’s savior, or is she doing anything new and interesting at all?
Charming Paintings of Contemplative Girls Doing Crafts
Sean Mahan’s series of paintings depict women doing stereotypically feminine things — sewing, crafting, writing — but the subjects in his work seem particularly haunting and self-possessed.
How Not to Launch a Site for Women: An Open Letter to Bustle.com Founder, Bryan Goldberg
Our editorial director Elizabeth Spiers responded to the controversial statements made by Bustle.com founder Bryan Goldberg, who dismissed the great strides women have made in media by suggesting that he has finally created the ultimate website devoted to women.
The 10 Best Sites for Culture-Savvy Women
And to prove Goldberg wrong, we provided a list of websites that appeal to the varied interests of women across the web.
Gia Allemand and the Objectification of Dead Women
Onetime Bachelor contestant and actress Gia Allemand committed suicide this week, and if that weren’t disheartening enough, the tabloid media had a field day portraying her as a dead beauty rather than a human being.