Posts by Zoe Cormier

  • In the Blog

    My big fat post modern wedding

    January 8th, 2009     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    The following is a condensed version of a post I wrote on my own blog about one of the most important and amazing nights of my life: my marriage. Please check out the original post for the full story, complete with the wonderful photos taken by my fabulous friends. Here is the happy jist of it: Last month, I got married. To my Wife Rebecca - or Bex, as she is better known. Truth be told, we’ve been … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    It’s not “all in your head”

    December 3rd, 2008     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    Yesterday I published in The Globe and Mail a feature that is very close to my heart: an exploration of vulvodynia, severe and often debilitating pain at the opening of the vagina. (If you find the story locked to paid subscribers on the Globe site, you can see the full text on my website here as well.) It was once dismissed as a psychiatric condition - and still is by many uninformed physicians - but … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    I am speechless

    March 3rd, 2008     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    A friend - a male friend - sent me this link, an op-ed piece in The Washington Post, commenting: “Leave it to the Washington Post to set feminism back twenty years with one op-ed piece. And, of course, just like Thom Yorke [of Radiohead] said, ‘You do it to yourself…’ Terrible. Just terrible. Like black-on-black crime.” This op-ed piece really is just breathtaking. I’m speechless. Here are a few choice extracts: I can’t help it, but reading about such … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Blessed are we

    February 25th, 2008     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    This isn’t motivated by anything in the news, anything in the world of ideas, or anything that has happened to me. This is just something that has been kicking around my head for a while, that I just feel the need to say. We talk a lot on this blog about what is lacking in our lives, and in the lives of women all over the world: equal pay, reproductive choice, justice and support for victims … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    A refreshing look at weight loss

    February 15th, 2008     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    I was out with a couple of my best girlfriends earlier this week, both of whom have suffered, and continue to suffer, from acute anorexia. You wouldn’t know it to look at them - they both make efforts to eat properly, so they don’t look underweight - but inside their heads they say it’s a constant battle. In the spirit of tackling their problem head-on, they’ve agreed to meet up once a week to eat … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    I got my period, and I’m over the moon

    November 19th, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    I got my period this morning, and I’m - pardon the pun - over the moon. Not because I thought I was pregnant (although I am indeed glad not to be pregnant right now). No, my menstrual joy derives from two sources. One: I’m not on the birth control pill right now. I was on the pill until this past winter, and since coming off it, have had very irregular and sparse periods, which is - although … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Banks for women

    November 2nd, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    Check out this piece from The Guardian about a new trend in finance: “female-oriented” banking, which “is not about frivolity and bows but profit and the bottom line.” Emotion Banking’s chief executive, Christian Rauscher, says that until now banks have failed to tap into the lucrative female market. “Fifty-one per cent of [banking] clients worldwide are female … more women are standing on their own feet and deciding their own finances … [banks] tend to address … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Well played, Natalie Portman

    November 1st, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    I didn’t really want to like Natalie Portman - her image is a bit too cutesy for me, I think her acting is overrated, and the stain of the last three Star Wars movies is awful hard to wash off. What can I say, I’m human, and all humans have some bias in their soul. But after putting in the effort to learn a thing or two about her, she has earned my respect. She … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Lee Miller: Feminist Icon

    October 18th, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    This weekend I had the wonderful chance to see an exhibit here in London, England of the art of Lee Miller (1907 - 1977), feminist icon and one of the twentieth century’s greatest photographers. Born in upstate New York, she actually began her career at 19 as a model for American Vogue - she made history when she appeared in the first advertisement for menstrual products that featured an actual woman in the picture. She was … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Why I’m not just pro-choice

    October 10th, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    Ah, statistics. There was no course I hated more at university. And yet, sometimes, if you want to make a point, all you need is some good, clear numbers. Voila: Number of countries that ban abortion (except in cases of rape/incest/life of the mother is threatened): 69 Percentage of the world’s population that live in those countries: 26 Percentage of the world’s population that live in countries that restrict abortion in some way: over 60 Fun, huh? Let’s all take a … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Why models just keep getting smaller

    October 4th, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    We all know that models have been getting skinnier and skinnier over the past twenty years. We all know that bone-thin women are neither healthy nor sexy, yet models have just kept getting thinner and thinner, and it really is hard to understand why. Rail-thin models were originally considered ideal because they could act like coat-hangers on the catwalk - their small frames would allow you to better appreciate the cut of the clothing. But … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    More on early bloomers

    October 4th, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    I just wanted to post a quick follow-up to Erin’s previous post about early puberty. The trend towards early puberty is scary and strange. We know that girls with high body fat are more likely to start early, but there are other environmental factors that are clearly at least partially responsible, namely endocrine disruptors. I have done so much research on endocrine disruptors - synthetic chemicals that act like hormones - it came close to making my … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    “I am a plastic bag”: Hip girl with clever shot back

    September 18th, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    About six weeks ago Thea wrote about the “I am not a plastic bag” fiasco here in England, where a cotton designer bag made in China was marketed as an eco-friendly alternative to plastic shopping bags, much to the chagrin of environmentalists, as the bag was made in pretty rank conditions and then flown here on greenhouse gas spewing planes. I’d like to bring something to your attention: This, my friends, is made of recycled plastic bags. … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Missed you guys

    September 18th, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    My sincerest apologies for blogging so little over the past three months. Various work obligations, and the frivolity of summer, have distracted me from all things Shameless for a little bit. But that doesn’t mean Shameless doesn’t still mean the world to me. Much like a dear friend you might go a year without seeing, it doesn’t change how much you love them or how much you connect. I’m happy though to say that there is … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Live long and prosper

    June 7th, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    OK, so we already knew that Spock was cool (although I’m more into Star Wars myself - but I got respect for Vulcans). But Leonard Nimoy has just rocketed up the coolness-scale by like a zillion points. Nimoy - an established and respected photographer - has been photographing plus size women in the nude for the past eight years. You can see twelve of his other nude portraits (and much of his other photography) here, and a … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Ireland denies 17-year-old right to abort - or travel

    May 3rd, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    Thank you to Anna for telling us about Women on Waves - thank god they are out there. Already I can think of one woman (or, girl, rather) who could use their help: a 17-year-old in Ireland is unable to get an abortion in her own country, and the Irish government has denied her wish to travel to England for an abortion. And, as the girl is in the care of the state due to her … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    “The town where women are never wrong”

    April 30th, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    So in an effort to increase tourism to one of China’s less well-known districts, local officials have announced that in “two years, a ‘female-dominated town’ will be built up here to promote ‘feminine culture.’” What sort of “feminine culture” will the town be promoting, you ask? “Love whip” will be a feature of the scenic spot according to the program. In this area, a “Female Court” composed of “judges” and “captains” will be set up. Male tourists … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    One step back for the US, and one tentative step forward for Mexico

    April 27th, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    So the US might be slowly eroding the reproductive rights of women, but across the fence, Mexico City lawmakers have legalized abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. No doubt the story won’t end here - I’m sure the city’s abortion clinics will find themselves besieged by irate protesters, and no doubt the law will be challenged in court. But it’s a start, and an important one. Now women will have access to safe and legal … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Teen anorexics in UK may be able to refuse treatment

    April 23rd, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    I haven’t noticed much mention of the topic in the Canadian media - but over here in England you see news stories on eating disorders and the fashion industry almost daily. There is a movement afoot here to ban size zero models from catwalks (that’s US size zero, equivalent to a size four in the UK system). Not simply because the glorification of excessive thinness no doubt contributes to the prevalence of eating disorders among young … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Ultrasounds may be forced on abortion patients

    April 12th, 2007     by Zoe Cormier     Comments

    Have you guys seen this garbage? A new law may be passed in South Carolina requiring that women seeking abortions be forced to view an ultrasound image of their developing fetus, clearly with the intention of making her feel guilty for her decision and turning her away from it. (With of course the oh-so-American addition of “except in cases of rape or incest.”) According to this MSNBC news piece, ‘The bills sponsor, Rep. Greg Delleney, a Republican, said … READ MORE

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