The XX Factor

Know More, Screen Less

Emily Yoffe — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:58:00 GMT

Emily B , I agree with you that it’s really unfortunate that the conclusion that we don’t need to routinely do mammograms until 50, instead of aparking a national, rational discussion about the advisability of “screening and prevention,” has become the...(read more)

The Mammogram Mania

Emily Bazelon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:17:00 GMT

I've been trying to understand the flap this week over the recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Task Force— a group ill-prepared to handle the controversy —to delay routine mammograms to age 50 for most women. And now, in a truly terrible coincidence...(read more)

Home for Thanksgiving

Samantha Henig — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:55:00 GMT

A post from DoubleX Staff: I know what they say, that holidays are occasions to revisit family stress. Many a great novel and movie has been built on this premise. And in general, I would say it's true. The Jewish holidays are all about starving and yelling....(read more)

Time Magazine Prematurely Applauds an End to Hover Parenting

Samantha Henig — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:14:00 GMT

A post from DoubleX writer KJ Dell'Antonia: Time magazine's "Can These Parents Be Saved?" story offers a glorious rundown of the rampant possibilities for overparenting that have become available in recent years. From kid leashes ("Kinderkords") to fears...(read more)

It's Time For Some Competition, Yoginis!

Samantha Henig — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:40:00 GMT

sponsorship placeAd2(commercialNode,'120x90',false,'') A post from DoubleX writer Kerry Howley: Yoga is a meditative practice sometimes thought to help liberate the soul from all worldly suffering. The Olympics are a tribalistic sporting event in which...(read more)

Why Oprah Is Giving Up the Mic

Jessica Grose — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:14:00 GMT

Oprah Winfrey is going to announce today that she will be leaving her eponymous talk show in 2011. The New York Times believes Winfrey is resigning from network TV in order to focus on the cable network she's working on, called OWN, which will feature...(read more)

Famous Authors on Writer's Block: Junot Diaz's Sweet Spot is in the Bathroom

Jessica Grose — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:08:00 GMT

A post from DoubleX writer Lauren Bans: Last week the Wall Street Journal interviewed basically every good living writer and asked them to share tips on sitting down and penning a book. The only clear lesson to emerge from the piece (titled " How To Write...(read more)

A Brief Defense of Sarah Palin

Emily Bazelon — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:36:00 GMT

Make no mistake, my main response to Sarah Palin's book is teeth-gnashing , because 1) she lies and never admits it. And her death-penalty lie mattered. And 2) she never acknowledges her debt to feminism ... (Read the rest of this article in DoubleX )...(read more)

Women Need a Pap Smear for Breast Cancer

Samantha Henig — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:31:00 GMT

A guest post from Cindy Pearson, the executive director of the National Women's Health Network: Mammography screening just doesn’t work very well in women before menopause, as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has now recognized . Everyone hoped...(read more)

The New Mammogram Guidelines Smell Like Rationing

Rachael Larimore — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:39:00 GMT

We keep hearing from proponents of health care reform that government rationing of health care is a “ canard .” We don’t have health care reform yet, but with the new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that women shouldn’t get...(read more)

My Husband Went to Argentina, and All I Got Was This Lousy Divorce

Samantha Henig — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:10:00 GMT

A post from DoubleX writer KJ Dell'Antonia: Politico.com reports that days after husband Mark Sanford admitted to having an affair, Jenny Sanford filed an application to trademark her name for use in "product merchandising to be sold at online retail...(read more)

Going Fake: Sarah Palin's Book Rewrites History

Marjorie Valbrun — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:12:00 GMT

Emily Y., Emily B ., Hanna , and Jessica : You’re all so on point with your observations of Sarah Palin. Like Emily Y ., I would like to see her go away, but not before I add my voice to the chorus of why I believe she is a fraud. I watched Palin on Oprah...(read more)

Sarah, Go Away

Emily Yoffe — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:15:00 GMT

Emily, Hanna, Jess, Rachael, if Sarah Palin were Sam Palin, would anyone still be interested in her? Dan Quayle was a good-looking, young, conservative, politician who, in his roll-out as a vice-presidential candidate, impressed everyone as being a dope...(read more)

DoubleX News

Hanna Rosin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:36:00 GMT

After some deliberation, we have decided to fold DoubleX back into Slate . The site will now become its own section, with our XX Factor blog, articles, and special projects already in the works. Our aim is to create a more intimate version of the community...(read more)

Daughters Devalued

Samantha Henig — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:10:00 GMT

A post from DoubleX writer Amanda Marcotte: If you're interested in reading a refreshing burst of honesty today, you could do worse than Aaron Traister's piece about the different reactions he received from people when he told them he was expecting a...(read more)

Palin: From the Nursery to the White House

Hanna Rosin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:51:00 GMT

Emily, I think Palin means this as one of her folksy nuggets of wisdom, and you are supposed to chuckle as you imagine her mediating toddler disputes over frozen moose pops. And of course it's not that. But you have to admit that this is a thoroughly...(read more)

Palin: The Ever Lovin' Mother

Emily Bazelon — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:45:00 GMT

I would really like to drive a stake in the heart of the argument, repeated once again by Sarah Palin in her book, that “there’s no better training ground for politics than motherhood." At first glance, it’s oh-so unobjectionable. But in Palin's hands,...(read more)

Palin's "Going Rogue" and Bristol's Pregnancy

Jessica Grose — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:29:00 GMT

Emily, I too have been reading the dribbles emerging from the soon-to-be-published Palin memoir . You're right that we mine her for insight on sexual politics, and I was particularly intrigued with the information that the AP published about Palin's reaction...(read more)

The Supreme Court Is Afraid of Gossip Girls and Boys

Samantha Henig — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:17:00 GMT

A post from DoubleX intern Jessica Dweck: In an Onion -esque piece of news this week, the New York Times reported that Justice Anthony Kennedy ordered a student newspaper to “tidy up” its coverage of his recent appearance at a high school assembly. Kennedy,...(read more)

Would You Take a Pill That Prevents Cancer? Unlikely.

Kerry Howley — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:03:00 GMT

Gina Kolata points out , once again, that diet and exercise have not been shown to affect breast cancer rates. Massive, well-run observational studies and randomized controlled trials turn up nothing. This finding appears to be unacceptable; popular culture...(read more)