THE ITHACAN

Letter to the editor: Divest IC aims for dialogue

By Rebecca Billings • February 5, 2014

Divest IC often receives constructive criticism; most commonly, we hear that we are neglecting the complex process behind the divestment of our endowment. We have taken this criticism in stride by doing...

Commentary: Feminists United strives to become an inclusive group

By Rebecca Billings • September 25, 2013

When I first attended an IC Feminists meeting at Ithaca College, I was looking for a safe space to share the frustrations I felt as a woman within a patriarchal society. I found that safe space as we explored...

Guest Commentary: Dove ‘Real Beauty’ banks on women’s insecurities

By Rebecca Billings • April 24, 2013

Dove has been capitalizing on our insecurities for years now, with magazine ads of non-thin naked women smiling and loving themselves, and commercials revealing the unknown horrors that Photoshopped images have on little girls.

Made Up

By Rebecca Billings • March 25, 2013

I’ve been talking a lot about makeup lately. And not in the Seventeen-esque “what color eye shadow will match my nail polish and skin tone while still making it look like I don’t have any eye shadow on” kind of way. The conversations I’ve been having—with my boyfriend, with other feminists, with my little sister—have…

Diva WHAT?

By Rebecca Billings • March 5, 2013

Before you freak at the mention of *whispers* … periods, hear me out. If you are a woman who has gone through puberty, you probably have your period about a dozen times every year. You’ve likely had numerous awkward conversations with parents and teachers about it, regrettably ruined at least a couple pairs of underwear,…

Why Feminism?

By Rebecca Billings • February 27, 2013

One of the many questions I’m constantly asked as people seek to understand (or maybe break down) my feminist ideals is “Why ‘feminism’? Why not ‘egalitarianism’? Or ‘humanism’?” This question, though initially intriguing, overlooks the very essential concept at the center of feminist thought: that the female—the feminine, the woman—is constantly and inarguable devalued within…