Yes, sorry for the typo. I'm not comparing your judgment here to Michelle Duggar's activism—I'm sure you're a much better person than she is. I'm saying that maybe the constant, one-note ridiculing of her decision to have a large family (and the comments about stretched vaginas and obsession with future uterine…

Oh, she's a terrible, terrible parent (as is Jim-Bob—funny that most of the criticism seems to end up aimed at Michelle)—have you heard about "blanket training?" It's part of the "biblical" child-rearing system (from the book "To Train Up a Child,") that the Duggars follow. It involves placing an infant on a blanket…

Can you really not see that your judgments are playing right into the narrative that women's reproductive decisions are open for debate? It doesn't matter that she is a pro-choice activist; Michelle Duggar's reproductive choices are nobody's business but her own.

Clearly, both of our menstrual cups are beyond repair and we must now go out and buy new ones. With pink sparkles.

I actually just boil it, which I think is what the manufacturer suggests. Cleaning with any kind of soap seems like it might cause a yeast infection?

I've always boiled it between cycles, but it's still looking kinda discolored. Maybe the branded Diva washes aren't just gimmicks? Hmm.

That's totally true for women of African descent, but "women of color" /= "Black women." People seem to be getting used to saying "blank of color" when they mean something more specific.

Same—I read something about soaking in hydrogen peroxide to bleach it? The glittery cup is a MeLuna—I've seen blue and pink glitter ones too!

I do see some personal reports in the comments here. One thing that's always confused me about this debate is the assumption that there are universal standards for what is triggering. I don't have PTSD, but I do have an anxiety disorder, and the things that "trigger" that for me can be incredibly specific and…

God, thank you. I hate everything this family stands for, but as feminists we can't limit "choice" to "choices we approve of." Michelle has a right to try the most invasive fertility treatments in existence to conceive a 20th child, just as someone else has the right to abort their first child, without justifying it…

Jesus, you are awful.

Do you seriously not get how misogynistic that is?

Yeah, I'm not sure where all of the hypocrisy comments are coming from. They aren't seeking IVF or even fertility drugs—it sounded like Michelle was wondering if doing more kegels or something would help her get pregnant. (Here's a hint: at 47, no.)

That's actually a term used by a lot of midwives, because "delivering" babies is seen as taking control away from the mother (after all, she's the one doing the actual work). It's odd to hear it from a mother, though.

You may have been joking about festive menstrual cups, but:

Yeah, that's usually the case in these types of shoots, but, uh...did you see these photos?

This is an interesting analysis, but I really disagree with your statement that Anne's "attachments go way beyond those of normal early twentieth century homosocial behavior." Her relationship with Diana fits pretty much perfectly into 19th century standards of romantic female friendships. It's certainly possible to…

Yes, I did click through to Codeswitch—I'm usually a big fan of theirs, but unless there's compelling evidence that wasn't mentioned, I'm still not convinced. The gap between ice cream parlors playing popular songs during minstrelsy's heyday and the invention of musical ice cream trucks post-WWII is pretty large. I'll…

I would love to see some kind of evidence that that's true, but I'm skeptical.

Obviously minstrelsy had a big impact on American culture, but to say that "most of America's musical culture was founded" on it is absurd. Minstrel shows didn't exist until the mid-nineteenth century; most folk songs have roots going back hundreds of years before that.