15 Days of Feminism: Day 14- What I think Feminism is Today

 

I think we know each other well enough by now to explain why I have been such an advocate for SlutWalk (which is TOMORROW!) and explaining Feminism lately. A couple of weeks ago on facebook I posted an, admittedly out-of-context, quote from Lady Gaga saying that she hates feminists – to which I asked how anyone could like her after something like that.

Well, I’m sure you know what happened next. My humble little facebook status blew up all over everyone’s news feeds and people were commenting left and right about what it means to be a feminist and why we’re still called feminists and why we would still need feminism today…and all that more or less pissed me off and I wrote that first post explaining SlutWalk and the 15 Days of Feminism.

How can people think there’s no place for feminism today? I think we need it now more than ever. Now that we are finally working to fight against Rape Culture (which to quote SlutWalk is the fight against: Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Class Exploitation, Ableism, Ageism,Fatphobia, Xenophobia, Colonialism, Imperialism, Poverty, Police  Brutality, Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence, and Street Harassment). Now that there are some many ways to get our voices heard (hello, internet), why wouldn’t we say anything.

And for those of you think that this is all ridiculous, please watch the video below and then watch the video of Feministing.com‘s founder Jessica Valenti explain SlutWalk – hopefully that will answer some more questions as to why this is important.

So there’s all that- and then look what happen’s when people try to speak out (sorry, I’m using another vid of Jessica Valenti; I’m trying not to look like I’m endorsing her, but I actually agree with most everything she says, so I guess I am endorsing her):

Yeah, there’s no need for feminism anymore. The world is totally free of misogyny and prejudice and discrimination – now please excuse me for a second, I have to go brush my pet unicorn’s licorice mane with a diamond-encrusted comb.

(because everything in the world is perfect so there is no need to voice my opinion.)

Luckily, there are many people who understand the importance of feminism today and they are Doing. Something. About it. Women are speaking up and speaking out and embracing feminism. This is hopefully where everyone is headed.

I’ll see you at SlutWalk NYC,

Jessica

15 Days of Feminism: Day 12- Third-Wave Feminism

(Kathleen Hanna of Riot Grrrl band, Bikini Kill)

So I told myself that I wasn’t going to talk about Third-Wave Feminism because even I don’t totally understand it.But I really don’t think that’s fair to ya’ll so I’m gonna give you a brief intro then end this post with a video that I think will help explain it a bit and is just a nice little portrait of what feminism (all feminism) is about. Cool? Cool.

So, third-wave feminism overlaps with second-wave feminism in that it starts around the late 1980s, early 1990s with the Riot Grrrl movement (that’s radical punk rock feminism for all those not in the know). And as punk lover, I am ashamed to say that I honestly know virtually nothing about any of this and I can assure that research will be done very soon.*

(Riot Grrrl Manifesto)

Anyway, thid-wave feminism has a stronger focus on Women of lower class, non-white, being transgender, human sexuality…basically, if you weren’t a middle class, middle-aged, educated white woman, third-wave feminists said “listen, they can’t discriminate against you either”. And if you doubt me, you can consult wikipedia.

Annnnnnd here’s Jessica Valenti on Feminism:

DON’T FORGET SLUTWALK!

 Luck,

Jess

*Hey, it’s not my fault, ok? Everything I know about punk, I learned from my Dad and I was born in the early 90s so he was too busy watching Rugrats and coping with having a(n adorable) daughter to listen to Bikini Kill. Hell, he didn’t even listen to any band that came after 1988 until I introduced him to the Fratellis in 2007!