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WEDNESDAY

I’ll admit it: The Guerrilla Girls scare me. A group of women formed in 1985 to speak out against sexism and racism in the art world, the Girls assume the names of dead female artists and don gorilla masks when delivering their message of injustice. Their latest publication, Bitches, Bimbos, and Ballbreakers: The Guerrilla Girls’ Illustrated Guide to Female Stereotypes, offers a look at the labels modern women face, from daddy’s girl to soccer mom, as well as such tidbits as the fact that Barbie started off “as a Teutonic cartoon hooker named Lilli.” The Guerrilla Girls say that they have been “reinventing the F-word—feminism,” and also seek to “reclaim the word ‘girl.’” Given that I initially failed to identify with any of the guide’s established groupings—and later had nightmares about those scary-ass masks—I’m thinking that, for my sake, the Girls might need to reclaim another unladylike pejorative. The Guerrilla Girls read at 7 p.m. at the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s Hammer Auditorium, 500 17th St. NW. $20. (202) 639-1770. (Tricia Olszewski)