A new infographic from Feel Unique looks at how much money people from different countries around the globe pour into the beauty industry. U.S. women top the charts, spending some $27.6 billion in 2007. (U.S. men spent a little over $11 billion.) Next on the list are Japan, France, Germany, and the UK. Meanwhile, at the bottom, you find Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain. Are you surprised? Check out these stats, plus many more, after the jump.

In recent years, winemakers have been aggressively marketing their products to women, "promoting wine as a break from juggling work, family and households," the New York Times' Andrew Adam Newman reports. "In recent years brands like MommyJuice, Mommy’s Time Out and Mad Housewife have emerged. Popular Facebook groups allude jokingly to being driven to drink, including 'Moms Who Need Wine,' which has more than 640,000 followers, and 'OMG I So Need a Glass of Wine or I’m Gonna Sell My Kids,' with more than 127,000 followers."

by Rachel Walden

An infographic from HipType, a "platform for data-driven book publishing," looks at the "DNA of a successful book." According to the graphic women are 50 percent more likely than men to finish a book, while books with a female protagonist are 40 percent more likely to become a bestseller. At the same time, men are ten times more likely to show interest in a book with a male protagonist. Check out the whole thing after the jump.

"Gone are the days when sex toys were a taboo topic predominantly associated with a shady porn industry," says Adam & Eve, "America's most trusted source for adult products." "Sex toys are set to match smartphone sales in the next ten years, and much of this is due to the increasing salaries and freedom of women in America over the past few generations." A new infographic commissioned by the site shows you facts you may not know about such products. Find out how much you know after the jump.

Earlier this week, a photo from UniteWomen.org of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, accompanied by a scathing comeback she made to a reporter who asked her who her favorite designer was, went viral on Facebook. Peeople who shared the photo also shared their approval of Clinton’s calling the reporter out for a potentially sexist comment. While the photo attracted a lot of media attention, to some, the Clinton picture is just another iteration of a widespread phenomenon: it’s a perfect example of #everydaysexism.

After the NYC Mayor's Office shut down a free vibrator giveaway sponsored by Trojan yesterday due to heavy crowds, the event is on its way to a comeback."Trojan says they're trying to get their toy giveaway buzzing again. And City Hall sounds like they are trying to do everything they can to please their constituents after rubbing them the wrong way on a hot August afternoon," Gothamist reports.

After years of agony, torturing myself by trying to put myself into an ever-smaller box of “acceptable gender,” I found another way. It’s called femme. Femme is a queering of femininity (and, to be clear, a queer identity adopted by more than just cis-women, which is a term for women who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth). It’s a femininity that is about being a subject instead of an object. A femininity that’s accessible to all bodies. A critical femininity.

There's a new “man aisle” in a grocery story in one of my old haunts, the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The New York Post reports that the store COO and CEO conceived of the idea after reading a study showing that 31% of men now shop for their families, compared to 14% in the 1980s. Ironically, the man aisle they designed doesn’t suggest that men are productive and useful members of their families. Instead, it reinforces the notion that men are all about leisure.

Founded in 2008 by Janis Kupferer, SocialJane.com is like Match.com for women seeking friendships. The site "works much like a standard dating site: you post a profile, including a photo and some information about yourself, and search the database," reports the New York Times' Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow. "But ultimately, instead of ending up in bed or at the altar, the idea is that you acquire a running buddy or a lunch date."

This post details some daily rituals that help interrupt damaging beauty culture scripts. For instance, do at least one "embarrassing" or "unladylike" action a day. Discuss your period in public. Eat sloppily in public, then lounge on your chair and pat your protruding belly. Swing your arms a little too much when you walk. Open doors for everyone. Offer to help men carry things. Skip a lot. Galloping also works. Get comfortable with making others uncomfortable.

A purse tells a lot about a woman. So does her phone. Some women prefer secure Blackberrys and others like pretty iPhones. Down-to-earth Androids may have taken over the market--but mainly the the mass market and geeks. When it comes to the rich and famous and powerful, these ladies mostly stick with iPhones and Blackberries. Let’s see who plays on which team.

Adult children are often warned that divorcing their parents will come back to haunt them. We are told that we will pay in regret and self-loathing or that we will loose our relationship with our own children. But having watched my husband go through his mother’s death, I no longer worry that I will be hit by waves of agonizing remorse. As the parent of young adults, though, I worry about becoming alienated from them.

by Lisa Levey