I'm not a big fan of the "Men do traditional women's work; are shocked to learn it's hard" genre of human interest story, but John Leland's article in Friday's New York Times about men caring for elderly parents is actually pretty good. It acknowledges some of the unique problems men face with taking on this traditionally female role, without the usual implication that this means women are somehow "naturally" better suited to it, and thus the status quo is best for everyone. In fact, I'd say this article is a great argument for why men need feminism as much as women do.

For instance, Leland points out that men are less likely to use employee-assistance programs for caregivers because, as one man who looks after his mother puts it, "I think it would be looked at like, when they hire a male, they expect him to be 100-percent focused. I don't want to appear to be someone who has distractions that detract from performance." The idea that any employee should be "100-percent focused" on his or her job, to the exclusion of fully participating in domestic life, is something women have been working against for decades -- it's just that employers have too often taken that to mean women are lousy employees, not that everyone needs a decent work-life balance. The sexist assumption that men are more committed to their jobs and women are more easily "distracted" by petty concerns like ailing parents (or children) hurts both genders.

Similarly, the expectation that female children should be their parents' caregivers -- and men with no sisters, presumably, will hire help -- stands in the way of some men being as involved as they'd like to be. Amy Torres, helpline director at Fria, says, "Nursing homes have a very difficult time dealing with male caregivers. It's unusual for them. The male caregiver is made to feel their interest in their relative is inappropriate." As a woman, I can't imagine being told that my interest in my elderly father's health is "inappropriate," which goes to the root problem here -- the sexist assumption that women are "natural" caregivers, ergo men are not.

I think it's scandalous that a grown man being compassionate, nurturing and responsible is considered such an unusual sight that nursing home employees will be suspicious of his motives. But then, a couple of weeks ago, I listened to a friend of my boyfriend's talking about how his 5-year-old daughter just cries about everything -- due to "some kind of girl logic" -- while his son "naturally" understands that crying is to be reserved for especially devastating occasions. When people are still teaching their kids that only girls are supposed to have and express feelings, is it any wonder that middle-aged male caregivers are seen as weirdos?

Attention bargain shoppers! According to the New York Times, this season’s holiday steals include diamond earrings for $249 and a Marc Jacobs bag for $248.45. But if you didn’t stay up all night for the privilege to elbow fellow shoppers at the electronics table, don’t worry – the deals will stick around well past the holiday season. As Dan de Grandpre, editor-in-chief of Dealnews.com, puts it: “This kind of heavy discounting will continue until we see some retailers start to fail, until they start to go out of business.” Happy holidays! But I never planned to leave home today anyway. At our house, we tend to spend most weekends with circular saws and circular knitting needles. So even before the economy tanked, we planned to make most of our holiday gifts at home. While we at Broadsheet aren’t big on inundating our readers with helpful household hints, it is that time of year, and well, I happen to know a thing or two about crafting on the cheap (I swear, it’s some sort of requirement for every Brooklyn woman of a certain age). Be warned: It’s entirely possible to spend way more on say, Japanese imported fabric, or hand-dyed silks and cashmere than you ever would on a sweater or a bag in a boutique. But if you stick to basic materials, you can make bags and jewelry for all your friends for that $250 or way less.

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Here's a pre-Thanksgiving smile: the new first girls, Malia and Sasha Obama, got a little schooling from Barbara and Jenna Bush on ways to have fun at the White House on their recent visit there, according to first lady Laura Bush.

In an interview on "Good Morning America" Wednesday, the outgoing first lady revealed that Barbara and Jenna showed Malia and Sasha how to whoop it up White House-style: "It was fun for the girls to get to show them not only (their rooms), but the way the big cross hall can be an obstacle course for little kids to run up and down, and the solarium ramp that you can slide down on your bottom. So they showed them all the special tricks," she said, according to the Associated Press.

The Bush twins also encouraged the younger Obama girls to jump on a tall bed: "We usually put a step out for people to step into when they stay in that room. But instead the little girls did the running jump, and Barbara and Jenna of course aided and abetted that jumping," Laura Bush said.

In other Malia and Sasha news, their mother reportedly instructed the White House staff that the girls will still have to make their own beds, when they're living on Pennsylvania Avenue, just like they did back home.

Have a great Thanksgiving! 

Britain's Women's Institute, which is infamous for offering classes on burlesque dancing and sex therapy, and having members pose naked in a charity calendar, has a new controversial campaign: attacking ads for escorts and massage parlors.

Minister for Women Harriet Harman, who last week announced plans to criminalize paying for sex with women forced into prostitution, asked the group's 205,000 members to join the government in its war against human trafficking. She asked that the group monitor newspapers and complain to editors who run sex ads that just might be promoting trafficked women; in turn, the organization has asked its members to pass along tips. "Look at the adverts in your local newspaper," Harman said. "They advertise women for sale for sex. Many are young women from eastern Europe, from Africa or Asia, tricked and trafficked into this country and forced into prostitution."

It's unclear, though, what the criteria will be for actionable ads or information worthy of passing along. I highly doubt Harman expects these women to put on their amateur detective caps and investigate suspicious operations before targeting them. So, will they broadly complain about anything mentioning escorts or massage parlors? Since the U.K. does not criminalize prostitution, but does outlaw persistent kerb-crawling and public solicitation, these advertisements are a major avenue for the sale of sex. Attacking all sex ads would almost appear a campaign to eradicate prostitution, not just sex trafficking (which some suspect is Harman's real aim).

It seems the group just might target advertisements featuring foreign women. Cari Mitchell, a spokesperson for the English Collective of Prostitutes, told the Associated Press: "Members of the WI are being asked to assume anyone coming from another country is being trafficked, which is an absolute lie." She added that "most immigrant women working in the sex industry are not being trafficked."

It remains to be seen how the information collected by the institute and complaints sent to newspaper editors will actually help trafficked women. As I said when NOW launched a campaign against massage parlor ads in alt-weeklies, "these ads exist because of a sex industry that exists." Simply making the ads disappear won't make sex trafficking disappear -- but it will purge the public evidence.

We learn all sorts of things about our friends though Facebook. In the past two months, I've heard about two friends' breakups, one friend's new boyfriend and the birth of a co-worker's baby -- all through my Facebook friends feed. But, according to Newsweek, some users are receiving a far more shocking status update, the subtext of which is: Your friend has an eating disorder.

Controversial pro-anorexia (or pro-ana) Web sites, which encourage girls and women with eating disorders to swap tips on extreme weight loss and share "thinspiration" in the form of photos of emaciated models, have spread to the social networking site by way of member groups. Unlike typical pro-ana sites, where users post anonymously, these groups "link users' real-life profiles to their eating disorders," reports Newsweek. Of course, some create anonymous profiles for the purpose of participating in these Facebook groups -- but many use the same profile that connects them to their friends, family and co-workers. Just imagine the following showing up in your feed: "[Insert friend's name] joined the group 'Ana Boot Camp.'"

As the piece points out, Facebook allows for far more intimacy because group members are "able to see people's faces, friends and interests." Kate, a 20-year-old college student in Utah, told Newsweek: "Myspace was more focused on tips and tricks and when to exercise. [On Facebook], there's a lot of really close networking, so you add those people as friends and exchange phone numbers, and when you're having a hard day, you talk on the phone." She describes Facebook as "a lot more of a support group." Of course, most outside of the community fail to see it that way -- or, at least, as positively supportive.

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At Coolidge High in Washington, D.C., students spent a day of history class completing a decidedly unusual assignment: Provided with glitter, feathers and glue, they were instructed to create pictures of a prostitute and a pimp. That same day, they listened to and analyzed a 50 Cent track called "P-I-M-P," which celebrates the time-honored tradition of men luring women into sex work.

If you're wondering what this has to do with the Revolutionary War, Catherine the Great or pre-colonial Africa, the answer is, not much. The activities are part of a special program administered by the D.C. Human Trafficking Task Force, a group that devotes most of its time to combating overseas sex trafficking. Now in its second year, the program interrupts classes in six D.C.-area high schools (selected for their high rates of family and domestic violence) to educate students about the dangers of prostitution, trafficking and abusive relationships. Andrea Powell, executive director of FAIR Fund, the organization that created the curriculum, says that it seeks to "raise all these issues of teen violence, dating violence and homelessness ...  One boy said he was hungry. All of these are risk factors for sexual exploitation." So far, it seems that the task force's efforts have been successful, with organizers receiving 56 notes from male and female students who needed help getting out of difficult -- and sometimes horrific -- relationships and home situations.

It's clear that this program is filling a huge gap in students' educations by giving them the information necessary to avoid all forms of sexual violence and exploitation. But a few things get to me about this story, too. For one thing, why do these already at-risk students have to give up history classes to participate in the program? Why isn't it already part of their regular health classes (you know, the ones that should also be teaching comprehensive sex ed)? And why weren't teachers and school administrators at these schools already working to ensure that students felt comfortable coming to them with personal problems? There's no doubt that the program is a step in the right direction, but we shouldn't forget that it's also a Band-Aid solution to the boatload of negligence that necessitated it.

UPDATE: FAIR Fund executive director Andrea Powell responds: 

Our program Tell Your Friends, which goes into D.C. public high schools, is a program funded by the Yahoo Employee Foundation. [Broadsheet writer Judy Berman] attributes FAIR Fund's work to the DC Anti Trafficking Task Force, which is incorrect. FAIR Fund is an active and proud member of that DC Anti Trafficking Task Force, but we are not funded by them nor do they have any control over this program. FAIR Fund is a separate 501c3 agency with anti-trafficking programs for youth in five countries with a focus on sexual violence, labor trafficking, and exploitation.

Also, I would like to point out that while it may not appear our program has much to do with history, I believe it does. Our program discusses modern-day slavery. We work with each class across the six schools during four separate sessions and very clearly cover the connections between human trafficking, American slavery, poverty, discrimination, and sex trafficking. We also would truly love to see our curriculum be integrated into health classes. That is our ultimate goal. We are grateful that the D.C. public schools and their teachers have given us a space to reach their students.

OK, take a minute just to stop, stare and gasp with glee. That's what I did when I ran across these swoon-worthy images of Sterling-Cooper's curvilicious head secretary (via Nerve). I don't know what mad genius came up with the idea to immortalize "Mad Men's" Joan Holloway -- played by the divine Christina Hendricks -- in glorious full color, but I can't think of anyone more deserving of the mid-century pinup treatment.  We'll lose the retrograde politics of the show, but we'll take those clothes any day! 

The divine Ms. H and her ladies certainly have plenty to do with the '60s fashion revival  (and, in fact, those with some dressmaking skills might just be able to translate these into patterns). But why stop there? Don Draper's wardrobe may stop at the gray flannel suit, but I'd still pay to dress him up for work each morning.

For some of us, our feminist awakening came in the form of a political rally, a historic election, a movie, a mother, a father. Who knows? And then, there are those of us whose eyes were opened saucer-wide by chicks making music.  June Carter Cash, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, Kate Bush, Cyndi Lauper, Nancy and Ann Wilson, The Go-Gos, Janet Jackson, Le Tigre, Tori Amos, Liz Phair, The Donnas, Destiny's Child, Pink. Hell, we could arguably include Billie Holliday in that list. Basically, if you came of age in the latter half of the century (and maybe before then -- if you know better, school me in the comments), you experienced women writing their own songs, on their own terms, and kicking ass while doing so.

"They cannot perform in public. They cannot pose for album cover photographs. Even their jam sessions are secret"

Now The New York Times brings us word of an all-girl Saudi band made up of four college students placing one well-chosen finger in the face of oppressive tradition:

They cannot perform in public. They cannot pose for album cover photographs. Even their jam sessions are secret, for fear of offending the religious authorities in this ultraconservative kingdom.

But the members of Saudi Arabia’s first all-girl rock band, the Accolade, are clearly not afraid of taboos.

Saudis are downloading their first single, "Pinocchio," from the group's MySpace page. You can listen for yourself here. I hear "Baracuda"-era Heart with a lot of crashing cymbals and some tinkling keyboard. The song is  in English. Maybe you'll dig it; I kind of do.

Regardless, we at Broadsheet -- well, we writing this Broadsheet item -- are seriously bowled over by this kind of dedication to the rock. Because music really is a kind of freedom. And,  like my mama's daddy always warned her, it's a pretty good form of rebellion, too.

This is a very special week at Broadsheet. It is Thanksgiving, yes, but it is also the week that our beloved colleague Lynn Harris welcomed a baby boy into the world. (At least, that's what her Facebook status update says.) Lynn -- who is the only reproductive rights expert we know who also taught comedy writing classes -- will be on leave for a bit while she helps her pup adjust to this brave new world, and while we will miss her dearly, we also look forward to the time she returns, when she will be wiser, stronger and (presumably) thinner.

As a small token of our affection for Lynn and her baby boy (and her husband, and her beautiful daughter), here is our favorite thing in the world. (Well, maybe our second favorite thing.) The world may be a rough place to navigate, but behold the beauty of the universe known as … puppy cam.

Remember the 15-year-old Ohio girl who faced child pornography charges for distributing naked cellphone photos of herself? There comes news that the charges were dropped, and the case will be dismissed if she completes a diversion program. But, most interesting of all, she revealed a typically teenage oh-by-the-way revelation during the hearing: Three of the male students who received her digital offerings also sent her back X-rated snapshots of themselves; now they might face charges, too.

That's not all in the way of teens being punished for "sexting," as it is now being called. Two teenage girls in Seattle were suspended from their cheerleading team after school officials discovered that they had taken nude cellphone photos of themselves that were circulated among students. One girl sent a topless photo to her then-boyfriend, which was "accidentally" leaked to other students; the other had a female friend take a nude snapshot, which also mysteriously ended up in other students' hands.

Now the girls' parents are suing the school, accusing "administrators of violating the girls' due process rights, needlessly sharing the photos with other school staff members and failing to promptly report the matter to police as possible child pornography," reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The school did not punish the students -- including a reportedly large number of football players -- who were in possession of the photos.

And there's more: Two 14-year-old girls in Livingston County, Mich., recently circulated nude cellphone pictures. In one case, the photo was sent to "as many as 200 people," according to the Detroit News. Nineteen students were suspended and roughly a dozen cellphones were confiscated by police. The other case is still being investigated.

There's a tendency to look at cases like these and dismissively conclude: Oh, well, those girls are damaged. That may be the case, sometimes -- but we certainly don't make the same assumption about a teenage boy who shares nude photos of himself. Not to mention, cases where the photos are discovered by school officials might be relatively uncommon, but I suspect that the practice of "sexting" is anything but.

It's hard to understand being very surprised at a girl taking a sexualized self-portrait, or even that she might want to share it with a boyfriend, or friends. Typically, this is not at all a safe or smart idea -- the Seattle cheerleaders being a case in point -- but we are talking about hormonally driven teenagers, after all. If we are shocked by this behavior, I think we're lying to ourselves about girls' sexuality -- especially those of us who were once teenage girls.