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Kara Jesella

Kara Jesella frequently writes about culture for The New York Times and other publications and is the co-author of How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time.

Recent Articles

Naughty Mommies

Are bloggers who proudly identify as "bad moms" challenging ideals of motherhood or reinforcing them?

Kara JesellaMar 20, 2009
(iStock Photo)

A mother tells her child that Häagen Dazs is a special medicine for mommies because she doesn't want to share. Another purposely ruins her daughter's favorite T-shirt with red nail polish. One joins Weight Watchers so she has a place to go by herself once a week. Another mom admits, "I can't wait to wean my daughter so I can get stoned again."

Are Motherhood Politics a Good Idea?

Sarah Palin is not the only candidate reclaiming the political authority of motherhood -- but are mommy politics bad for women?

Kara JesellaSep 16, 2008

"Does the mommy movement bother you?" Pamela Tsigdinos recently asked readers of her blog Coming 2 Terms. It was a little more than a week after Sarah Palin's You Tube-arrific speech at the Republican National Convention, and mommies -- the one smiling beatifically at her five kids, the one her daughter was about to become, the ones Palin was supposed to appeal to -- were on everyone's mind.