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Julia Baird is a former deputy editor of Newsweek magazine. She moved to Philadelphia last year and is writing a biography of Queen Victoria for Random House.

Eleanor Roosevelt speaking to lawmakers in 1962. She took to task those who put looks ahead of deeds or needs.
The beastly notion of keeping beautiful
By Julia Baird
Posted 04/26/2011
People today seem to have lost track of what beauty is. Which is partly why the idea of "letting yourself go" has always appealed to me. It sounds so deliciously liberating, and it conjures the wonderful image of a balloon floating over the horizon to another, better land. Imagine bumping into an old friend on the street with your hair stuck out at odd angles, wearing purple with plaid and mismatched shoes, and explaining: "Oh, sorry, didn't anyone tell you? I've let myself go."
U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D., Calif.) spoke on the House floor about her abortion. The next day, the chamber voted to slash funding for Planned Parenthood.
Ending Planned Parenthood funding will lead to more unwanted pregnancies
Posted 02/22/2011
It is always arresting when a woman speaks of an experience she has been taught to keep hidden. When Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California, stood up Thursday to tell the House of Representatives that she had terminated a pregnancy at 17 weeks because her baby had moved into her cervix - a wrenching, painful decision - it was a powerful moment.
 
Princess myth may be misleading our girls - 02/08/2011
Julia Baird, For the Inquirer
Julia Baird: Guess how many American teens got Botox in 2009? Just one would be too many. But the real figure is ridiculous.
 
Democracy and Islam are not mutually exclusive - 02/15/2011
"Believe what you want," said Glenn Beck, "but the left is working hand-in-hand with the Muslim Brotherhood and Muslim extremists. . . . Hand-in-hand. . . . We will show you the evidence. . . ."
 
What is Philly's big draw? - 02/01/2011
By Julia Baird
Julia Baird: More people are leaving other cities and moving to Philadelphia. It's the people, the affordability, the food, the tight community, and the parks. You might not know it, but right now Philly is bucking a national trend.


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