Sunday roundup

Because of the nature of the apparel industry, even companies that genuinely try to maintain fair labor practices end up struggling with their supply chains.

Vox's very balanced explainer on Palin, Duggar, and Dunham.

Don't default on your student loans; take Dr. Rubidium's advice (expand on the thread). All that said, there's truth in this:

Moneyed stumbles never seem to have much consequence. Tax fraud, insider trading, almost criminal nepotism — these won’t knock you off the straight and narrow. But if you’re poor and miss a child-support payment, or if you’re middle class and default on your student loans, then God help you.

But I have little sympathy for the prior paragraphs, because I have made life and career choices based on the fact that I (still) have student loans. 

Guess what? Animal products are terrible for the planet! T-e-r-r-i-b-l-e. And you absolutely don't need them, even though society insists otherwise. No wonder vegans get the freak treatment; we're awfully threatening to the idea that plant-based eating is feasible and healthy.

Why the alpha-male concept is literally misguided.

There is so much wrong with this transphobic drivel that I almost don't want to link to it, but let's discuss. Here's an excellent rebuttal of the race analogy. As for everything else, I don't know where to start, in part because she mangles valid points (that Laverne Cox made in her post, which I linked to in my previous post). No, womanhood isn't defined by nail polish (but it is also not defined by anatomy). True, trans women had perhaps benefitted from male privilege and had been protected from the indignations women face, but who the f* cares; those indignations, also, neither define women or hit us all evenly. Haven't you heard (mostly young) women talk about how feminism is a crock because they've never experienced any sexism? Are they not women? Yes, women's colleges face challenges in officially incorporating trans women into their way of saying things, while still centering women, but they're savvy and they'll find a way. While still centering women.

On a related note: nobody's auditing your choices in personal care; feminism has better things to do than police your use of lipstick.

 

That said, I couldn't find anything to be offended about in Vernon's "I like being thin" piece; I identify with most of it, minus the part about other people caring. But especially about how the best part is not having to care.

I don't understand--rather, I don't want to understand--why people are hating on Serena Williams.