Drag is a performance. They are not usually attempting to be perceived as "real" women. Sometimes drag has been described as a parody of the excesses of both straight and gay culture. Straight culture because it makes fun of problems perceived to be melodramatic and tasteless, essentially saying "straight culture is…

The more pointed argument would be that requirements of a Hollywood actor or blockbuster singer are not the same as his or her management. Justin Bieber's agent smokes weed? So what—he's not the one selling tickets.

I'm not sure how posing in a leather fetish costume fits within the encouraged mainstream guidelines for men's behavior.

There is so much wrong with defending Carrie Prejean in order to chastise a man, to quote the author of this article, "who was himself knee-deep in the BDSM community and posing in assless chaps" that I don't know where to start. I know some authors at Jezebel fantasize about being the most oppressed people in world…

Most big cities do. :)

There's a kind of "white wash" over a lot of the replies. The idea that millenials today (or for that matter Gen X'ers) have it worse than ethnic or sexual minorities in the 1960s, when Boomers were young, is pretty ridiculous. Part of what is informing complaints is that the promise of fortune is now open to more…

It might be helpful to add, for anyone struggling with the initial stages of bulimia, that throwing up generally does little to actually lower your weight. Most research shows you only lose about half the calories you consume, because by the time you puke you've already absorbed them. It's really not worth getting…

I don't know about liquor, but there is definitely such a thing as people smoking meth to lose weight. I wish I was kidding, but I have an ex boyfriend in prison because of it.

Don't try to apply logic to it. There's a great takedown of Lindy West's style of argument here: http://ohyeswesaidit.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/the-white-hipsters-burden/

Sorry, I'm guilty of conflating your points with the original author's. Part of the issue is this is not the first Lindy West post I've responded to, so there is some history there. I definitely don't think you are personally guilty of any of the things I said in my last post. My apologies for poor wording.

I know too many female dancers (of both the exotic and pedestrian kind) to make a comment without seeing more. The one photo of the event doesn't make it very clear what was going on. I try not to make the assumption that female dancer automatically means talentless stripper.

I consider it evasive language to an extent to label "homophobia" an issue but dodge "misandry," given that gender is a prerequisite for homosexuality. In terms of 21st century feminists in particular, the de jour way to describe gay men is not as "men" at all, but as something different and tragic. They do this (or…

I'm not sure about the word "humanism" versus "misandry," but I agree with you that feminism frequently gives short shrift to misandry. The most obvious example, IMO, is regarding male homosexuality. Feminism (and the left in general) would frequently rather relabel it "homophobia" to evade the less flattering idea…

I have picked on Lindy West recently for some of her other material but I feel that this article was a step up. I still disagree with some her assumptions, but there is more "meat" here to react to.

Agreed. Ms. Hatcher-Mays has done her research and it shows.

LOL!

This is an excellent post. Is there a way to follow specific writers? I would like to follow more of Ms. Hatcher-Mays writing. Very informative, well written, and supported by evidence/research.

I have a small quibble here: there is definitely such a thing as too big for a condom. I'm speaking from direct experience here. It's one thing to put a condom over an object, another thing entirely to put it on a cock and use it for sex. I am "girthy" by guy standards. I have had "regular" sized condoms snap during…

I'm torn on this. I don't think movies or television offer a realistic view of anyone. Being gay and having seen many gay independant movies, to me it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that in even in many of those "being gay" is the primary characteristic of the protagonists.

Where's the Like button on this thing? :)