Stories by Courtney E. Martin

Courtney E. Martin is a writer, teacher, and speaker living in Brooklyn. She is also the author of Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: How the Quest for Perfection is Harming Young Women and Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists. You can read more about her work at www.courtneyemartin.com. subscribe to Courtney E. Martin's feed

The Abstraction of Poverty Is Making Our Policies Poor

Posted on: Apr 2, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Why is the stunning increase in the levels of poverty so muted during this campaign season? Why are the solutions coming out of either party so hard to find?

Change or Die: How People Cling to Outdated Traditions That Will Hurt Them in The Long Run

Posted on: Jul 14, 2011, Source: AlterNet

A debate within a gentlemen's club reveals how some men cling to outdated sexist traditions that may come back to haunt them.

Women and Success: How To Be Boldly Ambitious While Acknowledging Help Along the Way

Posted on: Jun 6, 2011, Source: AlterNet

In the age of Hillary, Arianna and Oprah, why do women still have a hard time talking about their success in public?

Escaping the Sex Trafficking Industry

Posted on: Apr 11, 2011, Source: AlterNet

A Q+A with a former sex worker, who weaves her own painful story of being lured into "the life," with the stories of the girls and women that she now helps.

Botox, Bingeing, Bullying and Breast-Ironing: We Must Stop the War on Women's Bodies

Posted on: Mar 31, 2011, Source: AlterNet

In a globalized world, we must fight toxic body culture by "becoming what we have never seen"--rewriting the paradigm of health and self-acceptance.

How to Make the World a Better Place Despite the Roadblocks and Naysayers

Posted on: Sep 7, 2010, Source: AlterNet

"The world was a cruel, unjust place and, far from saving it, I felt stuck in it. Then I learned that I should fight to change it anyway."

What Should a Feminist Man Look Like?

Posted on: Nov 13, 2009, Source: The American Prospect

Many young men reject the trappings of traditional, sexist masculinity. But what's the alternative?

The Dominance of Rich, White Men Is Eroding -- It's Time to Truly Fight for Diversity

Posted on: Jul 28, 2009, Source: AlterNet

We need both women and men, and folks from a range of ethnic and class backgrounds, informing the creation of business "not as usual."

Was the Economic Meltdown a Crisis of Masculinity Run Amuck? It's Time for Women to Step In

Posted on: Jun 26, 2009, Source: AlterNet

If it had been Lehman Brothers and Sisters, would the financial meltdown have shaken out in the same way?

What the U.S. Government Can Learn From Three 22-Year Olds on Taking Action For Iraqi Refugees

Posted on: Apr 23, 2009, Source: AlterNet

At least 4.8 million Iraqi refugees are struggling for every day survival. We don't have time for more reports or pretty graphs. We must act now.

The End of the Women's Movement

Posted on: Apr 6, 2009, Source: The American Prospect

The era of the singular feminist agenda is over. But that doesn't mean gender-based activism is.

The Samaritan's Dilemma: Should Government Help Your Neighbor?

Posted on: Oct 23, 2008, Source: AlterNet

In a democracy, people depend on one another to make rules that benefit everyone. Author Deborah Stone discusses how the GOP destroyed that reality.

The Teen Moms of Gloucester: What the Media Didn't Tell You

Posted on: Aug 12, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Teen pregnancy is nothing new. So what made the Gloucester girls such a big story?

A Powerful Movement Puts Mothers at the Helm of Social Change

Posted on: Aug 7, 2008, Source: AlterNet

The Maternal Is Political, a new anthology, explores the transformation of and challenges facing the motherhood movement.

What Makes Female Suicide Bombers Different?

Posted on: Aug 6, 2008, Source: Huffington Post

The media portrays female suicide bombers as coerced, but the factors that drive women to strap on explosives are often the same that drive men.

Is Marriage Worth Fighting For?

Posted on: Jul 31, 2008, Source: The American Prospect

Recent steps legalizing gay marriage have made me reevaluate my aversion to the institution. But I still have my doubts.

Party Crashing: How the Facebook Generation Does Politics

Posted on: Jun 25, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Author Keli Goff on how today's youth -- black youth in particular -- choose their leaders. Hint: It's not by skin color or party affiliation.

Generation Y Refuses Race-Gender Dichotomy

Posted on: Jun 17, 2008, Source: AlterNet

At a stimulating confab on the election, our author declares: My feminism is about gender and racial justice, global security and community ethics.

Fanning the Flames of Youth Civic Engagement

Posted on: Jun 8, 2008, Source: DELETED

Progressives need to make sure that young people's excitement over the primaries turns into long-term civic engagement.

'Opting In' to Progressive Parenthood: A Personal Challenge to Modern Mothers

Posted on: May 20, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Author Amy Richards explains how to close the gap between feminist ideology and our daily lives.

Iraq: Experiencing the War at Home

Posted on: Feb 20, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Author Benjamin Percy discusses masculinity, fiction writing about Iraq, and how he got into writing to impress a girl.

Admitting the Complexities of Abortion

Posted on: Jan 22, 2008, Source: Huffington Post

I was unequivocally pro-choice, but I resented women who had uncomplicated relationships with abortion. I was jealous.

Virgin or Slut: Pick One

Posted on: Dec 19, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Why teenagers are so screwed up about sex and their bodies.

Good Calories, Bad Calories

Posted on: Dec 11, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Author Gary Taubes challenges common myths about obesity and explains why Atkins might well have been right.

Mating in Captivity: Reconciling the Erotic and the Domestic

Posted on: Nov 27, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Could more distance be the key to keeping the passion in long-term relationships?

How to Address Obesity in a Fat-Phobic Society

Posted on: Oct 16, 2007, Source: AlterNet

It's time to stop treating obesity as the problem of a lazy individual.

Rethinking Antidepressants and Youth Suicide

Posted on: Sep 24, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Is the confirmed rise in suicide rates among young people, particularly girls aged 10-14, linked to a decrease in prescription antidepressants?

Why Men Should Be Included in Abortion Discussion

Posted on: Sep 5, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Locking men out of conversations about abortion often comes at a great expense.

Fox and CBS Refuse To Air Condom Ads

Posted on: Jul 11, 2007, Source: AlterNet

It is inexcusable that television networks, one of the best public sites for widespread education about safer sex, is acting coy at the cost of young women's fullest lives.

Why Feminists Fight With Each Other

Posted on: Jun 11, 2007, Source: AlterNet

An interview with the author of <i>Sisterhood Interrupted</i> provides historical context for contemporary feminist infighting: the overblown mommy wars, raunch feminists and their older, horrified detractors, and bloggers virtually ripping one another apart.

Separating Fact from Fiction in the Age of Obesity

Posted on: May 23, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Can the diet industry be prosecuted into warning labels and public education efforts the way the tobacco industry has been?

The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body

Posted on: Apr 17, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Thinness and beauty are prerequisites for perfection, which to today's young women appears to be the only road to happiness. Under that logic, women's bodies have become places where that drive for perfection -- however self-destructive -- gets played out.

Oprah's 'Secret' Could Be Your Downfall

Posted on: Mar 25, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Why is The Secret, an Oprah Winfrey-endorsed documentary film and book package with a simplistic message that leads to more consumerism, topping Amazon's bestselling DVD list?

Does Being a Feminist Mean Voting for Hillary?

Posted on: Feb 25, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Are feminists obligated to support a political candidate just because she's a woman?

Why Love Is Our Most Powerful, Lasting Form of Activism

Posted on: Feb 13, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Who you love and how you love them is as much a statement about your social conscience as the letters you write to Congress or the votes you cast. It's harder to be good to someone else.

Wake Up, Employers: Working Moms Are Giving Up

Posted on: Dec 19, 2006, Source: AlterNet

The majority of working moms who leave their jobs do so because of inflexible office policy, not Martha Stewart fantasies.

Move Over Barbie, This Doll Gets Real About Anatomy

Posted on: Dec 12, 2006, Source: Women's eNews

An increasingly popular doll with genitalia and pubic hair offers an alternative to Barbies for a gift that can educate about sexuality without damaging body image.

Is Overachieving Bad for Girls?

Posted on: Nov 15, 2006, Source: AlterNet

A new book praises hyper-achieving 'alpha girls.' But their behavior may be symptomatic of a larger trend in outwardly high-achieving and inwardly self-hating young women.

Is the American Dream a Delusion?

Posted on: Oct 2, 2006, Source: AlterNet

I want to tell my working-class students that the American Dream isn't all it's cracked up to be. But maybe I shouldn't question their belief that hard work will bring success.

Megachurches Court Cool to Attract Teens

Posted on: Aug 7, 2006, Source: AlterNet

An evening at the New Life Church gives the author a clue to how evangelical right-wing Christians are attracting 'Generation Me.' PLUS: A video interview with the author.

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