A Feminist Reading List For Your Week

Sometimes it can be hard to keep up with all the content that rolls out in a given week. You only have so much time in each day, after all, and sifting through the Internet can be a time-consuming chore. And it's entirely possible that you're missing some things as a result — essays, articles, or riveting personal works that might really speak to you, both as a human being and as a feminist. But never fear, because we're here to help with a list of some of the writing from this week that every feminist should read. Because there's never a shortage of issues to think about.

Now, make no mistake, maybe there's something great out there that you read, but which won't appear on this list. It's hard to please every perspective, and within the realm of feminism, you can sometimes run into enormous, raucous disagreement. But if you want to get a wide perspective on some essential issues of the day, this might be useful for you. Here's a selection of some of the best feminist writing published this week — as well as one standout blast from the past.

What You Should Be Reading

• "The Aftermath of Bill Cosby's Admission? That's Rape Culture," by Zeba Blay for HuffPost Women, highlights a grim question. Why is it that more than 40 women's sexual assault allegations weren't enough for some people to believe?

• "Are Beautiful, Funny Women Really That Hard To Find?" by Ann Freidman for The Daily Beast, challenges that dismally, grievously worn-out stereotype that women are somehow inherently less funny than men.

• "If Male Actors Were Described The Way Female Actors Are," by Jenna Guillaume and Jessica Misener for BuzzFeed, expertly demonstrates the loaded, bizarre ways people cover female artists at the top of their fields. Bonus points for making you imagine a yoga-phile Robert DeNiro purring "Swiss chard."

• "Rihanna's Video Puts A Black Woman In Control — No Wonder There's A Backlash," by Rebecca Carroll for The Guardian, assesses some of the derogatory responses to Rihanna's music video for "Bitch Better Have My Money," which lit the Internet aflame this week. Mainstream feminism is one thing, but intersectional feminism often requires deeper, harder meditations on privilege.

• "All Straight Men Must Go See Magic Mike XXL Right Now," by Andrea Grimes for RH Reality Check, lays out some of the things straight men can learn from the hit sequel — like "the joy a man can, and should, take in making his lady-partner happy on her own terms."

• "Stop Acting So Surprised: How Microaggressions Enforce Stereotypes In Tech," by Livio De La Cruz for Model View Culture, gives a compelling insight into how subtle, unreflected-on assumptions fuel stereotypes within tech culture. What he describes may sound altogether too familiar for women and people of color in tech fields.

... And Here's A Throwback

• "7 Problematic Lessons Disney Movies Teach Boys About Masculinity," by Alex Kritselis for Bustle, back in February 2014. It's always important to remember that patriarchal notions aren't only harmful to women — they can also enforce needless and destructive norms, expectations and assumptions on men and boys, as Kritselis illustrates through the men of Disney.

Image: Bustle Stock Photo