Feminism | Posted by Julie Z on 03/15/2013
Technology and the Future of Feminism
Recently, I feel like I’ve been asked quite a bit about the way that technology is influencing the next generation of feminists. I have a basic answer at the ready, a couple bullet points I hit, largely based on the chapter in “A Little F’d Up” on the topic. I usually talk about my experiences here on the FBomb, how while traditional, on-the-ground activism is definitely still necessary, online activism most accurately meets young women where they already are: it is a practical answer to the reality of how we express ourselves, find information, develop our personas and spend our time and optimizes our abilities to benefit this movement. But lately, I’ve started to think about how technology specifically has shaped not only the so-called “fourth wave’s” feminist identity, but …
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Articles, Feminism | Posted by Julie Z on 11/21/2011
An Interview with Jessica Valenti
A few months ago, I had the privilege of interviewing Jessica Valenti – founder of Feministing, author of Full Frontal Feminism and awesome person all around.
For those not in the know, Jessica is the author of three books: Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters, He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut…and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know, and The Purity Myth: How America’s Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women which is being made into a documentary by the Media Education Foundation. Jessica is also the founder of Feministing.com, which Columbia Journalism Review calls “head and shoulders above almost any writing on women’s issues in mainstream media.”
Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Nation, The Guardian (UK), The …
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Articles | Posted by Julie Z on 08/4/2011
An Interview with Chloe Angyal
Chloe Angyal is usually the one asking the questions: in addition to being an editor at Feministing, she also writes their popular “Feministing Five” interview feature (of which, believe it or not, I was once the subject). Today, however, the FBomb is turning the tables on one of the most prominent interviewers in the feminist blogosphere, and asking her a few questions.
For those who don’t know, Chloe is originally from Sydney, Australia and is a graduate of Princeton University, where she founded Equal Writes, the University’s first feminist publication. Her writing has been published in The Christian Science Monitor, Skirt! Magazine, Salon, Slate, The Guardian, Foreign Policy Magazine and of course, Feministing. She’s an up and coming leader of the feminist movement, and somebody us …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 06/25/2011
Saturday Vids: Beyonce – Run the World (LIES)
I’m sure Beyonce had good intentions with her recent single “Run The World.” But unfortunately she didn’t exactly think that “girl power” sentiment through. Samhita from Feministing wrote a particularly insightful post about the dichotomy of this song, but hey. This is Saturday Vids. So I’m going to let Amber from the YouTube channel “Nineteen Percent” give an equally insightful interpretation of this song via video.
Here’s Beyonce’s song “Run The World” for reference:
And here’s Amber’s response:
Thanks to reader Greta for the tip!
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A Little F'd Up | Posted by Julie Z on 05/23/2011
I’m Writing A Book. And You’re Going To Help Me.
When I was a freshman in high school, I read Jessica Valenti’s book Full Frontal Feminism and it changed my life. It’s what sent me to Feministing, which introduced me to the feminist blogosphere, which in turn inspired me to start a blog for teenage feminists. Because just like Feministing, Full Frontal Feminism can be applicable to the lives of teenagers in many ways, and has been passed around plenty amongst teen feminists, but ultimately Full Frontal is geared towards women in their 20’s and 30’s.
And as absolutely fabulous as Full Frontal is, I think we can all agree that it’s about time that teenage feminists have a book that is really ours – about and relevant to our lives and written from a teenage perspective. We’ve proven …
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Feminism | Posted by Danielle B on 11/22/2010
An Interview with Selena Torrado
A few weeks ago, I met Selena Torrado, a teen living in New York who started her own high school feminist club called Femtastic! I was ecstatic to see that someone shared my passion for reaching out to teens about the “important” stuff; the point of this post is to say to you, Teenage Girls of the World, if your school doesn’t already have a club that deals with women’s rights, equality, feminism, etc. – IT NEEDS ONE. And if you think starting a club is too hard, Selena and I will attest that it’s totally doable, and totally worth it. Check out my interview with Selena about her club Femtastic!, and see if it doesn’t inspire you to start a feminist club of your own!
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Danielle: What …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 10/28/2010
My Feminist Photo Shoot
By now, some of you may be aware that I (on behalf of this here ole’ webblog) was recently chosen as one of 12 “new” feminists by More Magazine. Obviously, this is an amazing honor, and the fact that I’m in the same article as some of my all time heros (Jessica Valenti is mentioned in the article and I was freakin in the same room as freakin Shelby Knox!) is kind of mind blowing. And Jane Lynch is on the cover. As a Gleek, and more importantly as a Christopher Guest mockumentary fan (that’s really where it’s at) and just general supporter of Jane Lynch’s mind blowing awesomeness, a better cover girl probably couldn’t have been chosen.
However, the concept of having a “feminist photo shoot” …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 10/28/2009
The Disney Princesses and Sexism
I found this picture on feministing yesterday. Considering the response to my last post about Disney, I thought you guys might find this pic interesting.
I think the sexism they point out in the picture is legitimate as far as plot lines go, but statements like, “Her only asset, physical beauty…” and “her only asset, sexuality” get to me a little bit. Sure, I think Disney created some pretty sexist characters here. But they weren’t exactly dumb bimbos who acted without any purpose throughout the entirety of the movies.
As I recall, I actually identified with Belle quite a bit because we were both voracious readers. I’d say an appetite for literature is a pretty good asset to have. And Jasmine was totally empowered by demanding to marry only who …
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