marry me, rachel maddow

"Feminism is itself a challenge. Feminism is a challenge to the way things are in the world. It is by definition an oppositional movement, because it’s trying to accomplish something. I’ve never felt like feminism was a consciousness raising effort in isolation. Everything about feminism is about getting something in the world to get better for women, and to get the world to be less stupid on gender bifurcation terms. I think that feminism over time gets better, or it gets better and worse and better and worse at achieving the goals that it’s trying to achieve, but the overall mission stays the same. I guess I don’t think of it as feminism versus anti-feminism; I sort of think of it as feminism versus the world. I don’t think of it as a competition; there’s no winning. In feminism, you’re always trying to make stuff better. It’s opposition to which you cannot attribute a tally."

HULK RESIST BULLSHIT PRESSURE TO DOWNPLAY FEMINISM TO MAKE PEOPLE MORE COMFORTABLE. DISCOMFORT CAN BE PRODUCTIVE.

Hell Awaits You and Me (but mostly me)

and these are just the ones i'll admit to!

Kate Nash

 "Yes, I'm a feminist. I think everybody should be, because feminism is about equality of the sexes, which we all believe in, don't we?"

riot grrl manifesto

"we seek to create revolution in our own lives every day by envisioning and creating alternatives to the bullshit christian capitalist way of doing things."

feminism...

"promotes women's right to bodily autonomy; that supports comprehensive, truthful sex education and access to affordable, reliable contraception; that seeks full equality for women of color, poor women, gay women, transwomen, disabled women, immigrant women, childfree women and atheist women, just as much as white, conservative, Christian mothers; and that expects a government that's ostensibly of the people, for the people and by the people to, you know, act like it."

sarah palin is NOT a feminist

"there is simply no way that you can advocate for the limitation of other women's rights and access to health care and call yourself a feminist."

Adopt Nihilism

"It took a special kind of guts to be a fuck-up as a woman, I thought. To say to hell with being a nice girl, the responsible one, the one who makes sure the man takes care of himself and eats properly and doesn't take too many drugs. To be just as nihilistic and self-destructive as a man, knowing all along that you'll get crucified for it, because somehow, the world will make everything your fault. He'll be a martyr, and you'll be a succubus. He'll be a genius, and you'll be a groupie. He'll be a hero, and you'll be an ugly fat crack whore who deserves to die."

[nerve]

SLUT

"Let me set the record straight, right here, right now, for good: People who call other people "sluts" are always, inherently, insufferably wrong. No matter the sexual history of the person they are addressing. Because people who buy into the concept of a slut- that someone who has more sex is worse than someone who has less sex- are fundamentally, logically, morally, spiritually erroneous. Having sex doesn't make you a bad person. Having sex doesn't make you a bad person. Having sex doesn't make you a bad person. (Yes, I'm going for a Good Will Hunting moment here!) Having sex doesn't make you anything other than a person who has sex. The end. I promise!




In reality, purity is a myth. You are not weaker, or stupider, or less important, for each time you choose to have sex with someone. That's not to say there aren't universal social truths about good and bad behavior that you should be accountable to- there are. But these "positives" and "negatives" don't correspond with numbers of sexual partners- that would be ridiculous and meaningless. They revolve around things like kindness, intelligence, compassion, and wellness. These things matter inside and outside the bedroom. Having sex does not define who you are or what you do in any arena other than your sex life! There is no simple dichotomy where more sex equals bad and less sex equals good. There is only you. Your state of mind, your experiences, your health and well being, your contribution to this world. It is a more complicated, more nuanced, more evolved system of valuing people. Which should tell you right there it is probably right."

[feministing]

"Feminism demands a complete overhaul of how we think, how we behave, how we talk, where we work, what media we consume, how we vote and how we raise our families. For women and for men, feminism is a dramatic shift away from the way things have always been. That's why it's so thrilling – and so threatening.

Unfortunately, despite the enormous strides we have made towards gender equality, that overhaul is far from complete. In a country where only 17% of Congress is female, where women – with or without children – make 77% what men make a decade after finishing their education and where only 6% of rapists will serve jail time, we can't afford "not a feminist, but …" – a disclaimer that signals to the world that we're willing to settle for an incomplete overhaul.

"I'm not a feminist, but …" is a way of telling the world that we don't pose too much of a threat. It's a way of saying that we don't plan to rock the boat too much, that we will play nice. And yet, feminists are people who dare to imagine a world in which women are 50% of Congress, where women are paid 100% of what their male colleagues earn and where every person who violates another human being is reported, prosecuted and convicted.

It's tempting to hide behind this disclaimer, this shield. But it is feminism which got us where we are today and without action and leadership from unabashed young feminists, we won't get much further. So step out from behind your shield and say it: "I am a feminist." No ifs, ands or buts."

The Guardian 

Girl Crush: Ellen Page

"I am a feminist and I am totally pro-choice, but what's funny is when you say that people assume that you are pro-abortion. I don't love abortion but I want women to be able to choose and I don't want white dudes in an office being able to make laws on things like this. I mean what are we going to do – go back to clothes hangers?"

Total girl power movie.

Dating While Feminist

Happy International Women's Day!!

i think it is too perfect that Kathryn Bigelow was the first female director to win Best Director (for a genre usually dominated by men) the day before International Women's Day.

"This is a revolution,not a public relations movement."

as someone who has identified as a feminist from a very young age (when i was in pre-school, a friend's mother nicknamed me Hilary. it embarrassed me then but i now relish it) i never understood the reluctance of some young women to identify as a feminist. I always took it as a compliment! However, because of the negative connotations the media has associated with feminism (ugly, man-hating, hairy-legged bitches/hags) young women are reluctant to say they are a feminist, even if they agree with all the ideas of feminism.  And they do. According to Gloria Steinem: 

"Every feminist issue has majority support in public opinion polls, and the word 'feminist,' even with no definition, causes at least as many women to identify with it as with the word "Republican"—about a third in both cases. With its dictionary definition, more than 60% of women identify with 'feminist' and, when they are measured, more than half of men"

That's a majority!! and that's why the right works so hard to discredit feminism and discourage young women from supporting it.  When Rush Limbaugh says "feminism was established to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream." He isn't saying it because it's true (have you seen Gloria Steinem? Jane Fonda? Jessica Valenti? they are babes.) He is saying it because we live in a culture where a woman's worth is dependent on her looks and being considered attractive (her sexuality).  What better way to keep young girls away from a revolutionary movement than to associate it with something they fear: being considered unattractive.  Then you are able to keep girls focused on being attractive instead of the issues, keep feminism down and maintain the status quo. The best way to fight this is to ignore it. Fess up to being a feminist. Ignore the stereotypes that say we are man-hating slags.  Be your fabulous, feminist selves. and if that fails, fuck 'em. Remember: 

"this is a revolution, not a public relations movement"

The Purity Myth

i just finished The Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti

i'm going to work on a write-up on the book, but it covered so much it might be a while.  i highly recommend the book.

Our Lady, Who Art in Heaven

"When a guy says, 'Oh I fucked all these chicks this week,' there's a high-five and giggling. But when a woman does it and its publicised or she's open about her sexuality or she's free or liberated, it's, 'Oh, she must have a dick.'"

GAGA

Boys Don't Make Passes At Girls Who Wear Glasses

this essentially sums up my problem with tswift.

check out this article

Feminism Goes Both Ways

It's about the EQUALITY of BOTH SEXES people. Which is why it is so awesome that men in the U.K. will soon be able to take 6 months of paternity leave!

Top 10 Reasons Feminism is Still Relevant (in no particular order)

#1

The Christina Aguilera Double Standard

So what am I not supposed to have an opinion
Should I be quiet just because I'm a woman
Call me a bitch cos I speak what's on my mind
Guess it's easier for you to swallow if I sat and smiled

When a female fires back
Suddenly the target don't know how to act
So he does what any little boy will do
Making up a few false rumors or two

That for sure is not a man to me
Slanderin' names for popularity
It's sad you only get your fame through controversy
But now it's time for me to come and give you more to say

This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
So what do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave them proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down

Nobody can hold us down
Nobody can hold us down
Nobody can hold us down
Never can, never will

So what am I not supposed to say what I'm saying
Are you offended by the message I'm bringing
Call me whatever cos your words don't mean a thing
Guess you ain't even a man enough to handle what I sing

If you look back in history
It's a common double standard of society
The guy gets all the glory the more he can score
While the girl can do the same and yet you call her a whore

I don't understand why it's okay
The guy can get away with it & the girl gets named
All my ladies come together and make a change
Start a new beginning for us everybody sing

This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
What do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave 'em proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down

[Lil' Kim:]
Check it - Here's something I just can't understand
If the guy have three girls then he's the man
He can either give us some head, sex her off
If the girl do the same, then she's a whore
But the table's about to turn
I'll bet my fame on it
Cats take my ideas and put their name on it
It's aiight though, you can't hold me down
I got to keep on movin'
To all my girls with a man who be tryin to mack
Do it right back to him and let that be that
You need to let him know that his game is whack
And Lil' Kim and Christina Aguilera got your back

But you're just a little boy
Think you're so cute, so coy
You must talk so big
To make up for small lil' things
So you're just a little boy
All you'll do is annoy
You must talk so big
To make up for small lil' things

This is for my girls...
This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
So what do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave 'em proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down

This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard
So what do we do girls?
Shout louder!
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground
Lift your hands high and wave 'em proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us down
Spread the word, can't hold us down