An Iranian dating site is banned for encouraging sinful behavior. Hamsarchat.com, “Iran’s most complete spouse-finding website,” has been banned for “encouraging prostitution,” according to an article in the Guardian. The site, which is one of Iran’s most popular dating sites, claims to help people find spouses and start families, but recently senior ayatollahs have begged to differ. As with any dating site, members complete a questionnaire about themselves, though beyond the typical height/weight details, they are also asked to comment on how strongly they feel about a partner’s hijab, describe their … Continue Reading ››

Italians trade in feminism for sex appeal?

Traveling through Italy one summer, I developed an unexpected love for the country’s nude beaches. Sure, there were a fair number of impossibly bronzed women who appeared to have fallen out of a swimsuit catalog, but there were others as well, old and young alike, thick and thin in all the “wrong” places. I left the country convinced America could cut its eating disorder rate in half if we simply embraced the same relaxed attitude toward nudity. As it turns out, I may have misread the … Continue Reading ››

Online dating for the young objectivist.

It’s hard to be rational in this chaotic world we live in — especially if you want to actually date people. Ayn Rand fans have found a solution: the Atlasphere, an online dating site for Objectivists, “where admirers of Ayn Rand’s novels from around the world can meet easily and affordably — 365 days a year — to network, find shared interests, and perhaps, through our online dating service, even fall in love.” Broadsheet’s Lynn Harris has written about this site on Salon before, … Continue Reading ››

A disturbing way to ruin a perfectly good dessert.

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is that my mother always spends several weeks in the kitchen making cookies, which she then exchanges with friends for even more cookies. It’s all very traditional and wholesome, I gain a few pounds, and the world is a generally happy place. Who doesn’t love cookies? Well, maybe the people who designed fetus cookie cutters. Yes, for the low price of $9.99 you could be the proud owner of cookie cutters shaped like little … Continue Reading ››