Feminism | Posted by Julie Z on 02/16/2011
Masculinity: From A Feminine Perspective
It pains me a little bit to say this, but I have to admit it. I’m kind of a hypocrite. I’ve spent over a year on this blog exploring most every facet of being a teen girl in this culture through a feminist lens. I’ve bitched (and rightfully so) about how there’s still a shit ton of sexism out there and how we still need to fight for equality, but I never really mentioned the guys.
While I’ve always supported men in the feminist movement, and believe they need to be a part of it, I’ve always viewed the way masculinity standards shape and effect men as something completely separate from women in this culture and a marginal part of feminism. It wasn’t until I read Michael Kimmel’s book Guyland that …
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Feminism | Posted by Aleka Raju on 02/8/2011
The Right to Learn
“Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end.?” – Rigoberta Manchu Tum.
Women are quite possibly the most disadvantaged section of the human population. With the onset of the 21st century, their status in society has improved, yet at the same time it remains far behind what the radical feminists envisaged during the feminist revolution.
I think to myself that even all the money in the world can’?t change men?’s attitude when it comes to allowing women and young girls the right to learn. As Indian society becomes more westernized, Indian girls are rebelling. However, their attempts are proving to be very futile because at the end of the day they’?re still …
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Feminism | Posted by Brian C on 12/8/2010
Just Because Berry Is In The Name…
Does anyone else enjoy partaking in the outlandish factoids of Snapple caps? I recently got a fact that stated that a banana is technically a berry and strawberries are not even berries. I will repeat this, because it bears reiteration. A banana (the yellow things you have to peel) is a berry whereas a strawberry (red fruit of deliciousness with BERRY in the name) is not a berry. So I had an initial shock and a moment of muddled thoughts. Society has played this trick a number of times on me throughout my life. Koala BEARS and panda BEARS are not even bears. Furthermore I concluded that this type of poor labeling by society is why I fight for gender equality.
To me, equality is a condition worth fighting for …
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Feminism | Posted by Fiona L on 11/8/2010
Are Chivalry and Feminism Incompatible?
This summer, I had doors opened for me, was ushered into rooms ahead of my male counterparts, and was even offered a spot in line ahead of the boys. I attended an amazing international program where I met teenagers from thirty-two different countries, and I learned that in many parts of the world chivalry is not, in fact, dead.
Apparently, my international friends (who came from countries ranging from Kazakhstan to the Netherlands) share a belief that women ought to be treated differently in certain situations. Maybe it’s just automatic behavior, but these boys acted differently from the seventeen-year-old boys I know, who would never think to say “You first.”
I grew up in New York City, where people rush through their daily routines, scarcely pausing to allow others to …
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Feminism | Posted by Zoe Y on 10/14/2010
Military Draft and Reverse Sexism
One or two years ago, I was taking my first Women’s Studies class at my college and it began my infatuation with feminism. Naturally, I had mixed feelings at first between agreeing with my teacher’s points of discussion and not wanting to announce the fact that I was a feminist, fearing criticism from friends. During this transition period into my self-identification as a feminist, I had an experience that I look back on with a bit of regret. I was in my apartment with my roommate and a friend of hers. We were discussing how I was taking the Women’s Studies class and how I was really enjoying it. My roommate’s male friend then said “I’ll support women’s rights when they aim for complete equality, instead of picking and choosing. …
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Feminism | Posted by Courtney F on 10/12/2010
A Modern Rant on Modern Feminism
The past few days I’ve noticed some hating going on towards modern feminism on tumblr, and hey, everyone’s entitled to their own opinions, but it still frustrates me. I don’t think people really understand what modern feminism is and that there’s still reasons to fight, even if it’s not necessarily the reasons of the 60′s. I mean, I didn’t even really understand what modern feminism was until about a year ago.
People hear the word feminism and associate it with the fight to stay out of the kitchen. It’s just not. I mean, if you want to talk feminism and the kitchen, feminism believes it’s a woman’s choice to stay in or out of the kitchen. I for one, try to avoid the kitchen at all costs because I can hardly …
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Feminism | Posted by Hannah K on 09/20/2010
Fudge
I go to a fairly progressive co-ed school in Northeast Ohio. We just implemented this new crazy schedule where no period is less than sixty minutes long, and there is going to be a three week period where we take only one class ALL DAY LONG. Yet, beneath this shiny, new agey exterior there seems to creep some weirdly archaic views of women.
These ideas presented themselves recently in the form of a few delicious and gooey pieces of fudge.
“Fudge” you say. “How can fudge be sexist? Fudge is chocolate. Fudge is goodness. Fudge is right.” Ah yes. How I wish. Yet, this fudge of sexism has a very specific purpose, a specific meaning. It is part of an old school tradition.
Before a football game a boy on …
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A Little F'd Up | Posted by Julie Z on 08/25/2010
Chelsea Baker: 13-year-old Role Model
I remember one day in 5th grade during P.E. class, a particularly douchey male classmate of mine turned to me completely unsolicited and said, “Boys are better than girls at sports, you know.” Now, if this had happened today, you better believe I would have smacked the dodgeball or whiffle ball or whatever sports accessory I may have been holding at the time into his righteous face (just kidding, violence is bad). But I was ten, and even though his statement didn’t seem true to me I just let him get away with it. I mean I personally fail miserably at sports, but that’s due to complete indifference and laziness, neither of which I attribute to my gender or even physical ability. And now that I think about it, this …
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