I love competitive cooking programs. I'm currently enraptured by Season 5 of Masterchef Australia (a combination of Masterchef, Big Brother and American Idol - it's sublime). After binge watching the two seasons, I refuse to watch Top Chef. The judging, the critiques, all were sexists and it was clear the judges (and…

Wow, your experience was so close to mine. A next door neighbour teen, I was 7 and 8 years old. No one talked about it. The only difference was that even after my parents knew what happened (it would be too long and complicated to explain how I knew, even though no one ever spoke to me directly - let's just say I felt…

Perhaps that's also part of my issue with the program - that it gives women who haven't had the experiences survivors have had a false sense that there are more law enforcement officials who care and who will fight for your case to the end than there are in reality. In reality, as much as first responders may care, as…

I feel terrible for both of you. Imagine moving through the world as a decent human being, knowing that you were an object of fear for reasons beyond your control. That goes for gender and skin colour. As much as I'm angry that you (as do all women) had to put your guard up, have a plan of defense and experience that…

It has been really good for me to write this and have this conversation. I've been wanting to get this out for quite awhile. I'm glad to see there are others who share my feelings.

I respect your experience. Thank you for sharing how you feel and how why you watch. I do understand the catharsis of watching the process of seeing justice, even in fiction. I suppose I must find that myself in reading. I guess what I find difficult, especially with slasher horror movies, is that I can't find…

Actually, you're right. Growing up in a small town, sometimes you feel like just getting to your twenties alive (although not unscathed) is an accomplishment.

Thank you for your kind words. I have come to a place where I believe that we, as a society, need to support women who have experienced sexual trauma to come out as survivors, not as victims. For me, part of that process is talking about my experiences openly and letting other women that they are not alone, by letting…

I can't watch the pain - I can't put myself in that place again, no matter how well it might turn out at the end.

There are many, many places where animal modification IS illegal precisely because it is only cosmetic and very painful for the animal.

As a woman who was molested as a child and raped as a teen, I have never watched an episode of L&O:SVU or a horror movie based on killing teens. I have never, and will never, understand the entertainment value of sexual assault, rape, torture or murder. These things happen in real life, to real people. Why would…

Except that, as a woman not conventionally beautiful, who was molested at a young age and so understood far too young what kind of bad things could happen against a woman's will, I hid myself in conventionally pretty friends. Call me a coward, but I learned early that the boys paid attention to pretty girls and…

I've worked in the bridal fashion industry for a few years now. I think many women would be surprised how many brides I get who would be quite happy with a wedding dress like the one from H&M. They come into the shop hating the idea of wedding dress shopping, wanting something really simple, no fuss, not 'bridal'. I…

In the future, his collections will be required study in fashion design schools. He is the epitome of innovation in design, use of fabric, texture and styling. He is a genius.

Ooh, be careful what you say. Any mention on Jezzie that doesn't strictly put all responsibility for any sexually inappropriate behaviour on men can open you up as a misogynist victim-blamer. There isn't much leeway around here. God forbid you attempt to suggest women might be responsible for their own safety.

So rather than linking to Emily Yoffe's original article, you link to yet ANOTHER article accusing her of writing a victim-blaming piece. Talk about bullying and victim-blaming. Why doesn't anyone on Jezebel deconstruct what she ACTUALLY wrote and not what you CLAIM she wrote? Because it doesn't fit your 'everybody…

Then you read it with your own bias firmly in place, which is very sad.

Yes, and if you'd read any of my other posts, I did say that the value of the message lay only it its ability to raise awareness. It is still absolutely necessary to put the onus on women protecting themselves and each other, NOT on trying to convince potential rapists not to commit rape.

Or are you one of those who seriously thinks that by telling men not to rape, that somehow that's going to make any difference? The men who are going to rape are not going to stop because of any 'rape is bad' college campus campaign. The men who would never rape are never going to, message or no message. The best you…

So what, we should 'take one for the team' by not protecting ourselves as individuals? That truly is a ridiculous statement.