Online feminism
by Jo Middleton
Online feminism: We modern girls know what we want. We want choice, we want freedom, we want equality. We want feathers and corsets. But do we ever stop to think about how we came by all this freedom? These online feminist sites can help us think...
Most of us reading this live in what we'd consider to be an enlightened age of feminism that's so, well, feminist that we take such things for granted. What about the activists who fought, and are still fighting, for women's equality? With many of us enjoying fulfilling careers, inspiring friendships and all kinds of exciting hobbies, it is easy to forget that in many areas of society the fight for equality goes on.
Sure, women now have a lot more choice when it comes to work and education, but what about rape conviction rates? Or the thousands of women living in poverty? And how exactly do you feel about the misrepresentation and exploitation of women in the media?
Although we have made a lot of progress, there is still a long way to go, and now is the time to get political. For the technophiles among us, this doesn't have to mean taking to the streets, brandishing placards and burning our bras - the internet actually provides the perfect forum for activism. From feminist campaigning organisations offering ways to take action online, to a whole host of sassy feminist bloggers, there are plenty of ways to take an interest and make a stand from the comfort of your laptop.
Check out the following feminist sites and blogs for inspiration...
www.fawcettsociety.org.uk - The Fawcett Society is THE gender equality organisation, campaigning nationally for equality between women and men in the UK on pay, pensions, poverty, justice and politics.
www.thefword.org.uk - The F Word is an online magazine, sharing ideas and opinions on contemporary UK feminism. Particularly keen to engage with young women, the webzine mainly features younger writers and encourages contributions from new, young feminists.
www.subtextmagazine.co.uk - Subtext magazine operates both a paper based mag and a regular blog, tackling all kinds of topics facing young women in the UK - from the 'pinkification' of the Early Learning Centre to the demise of the Observer Woman magazine - get your fix of feminist news here...
http://bitchmagazine.org - Bitch Magazine, the 'feminist response to pop culture'. Bitch is an American publication, offering a regular magazine and an interesting blog. Bitch aims to 'provide a feminist critique and analysis of pop culture, to encourage discussion about how the media influences us, and to promote the connection between cultural critique and social-justice activism'. Ooer!
www.object.org.uk - Take action against the sexual objectification of women in the media and popular culture with OBJECT, a UK based human rights organisation. OBJECT has led a number of recent high profile campaigns on the licensing of lap dancing clubs, lad mags and beauty pageants.
http://cruellablog.blogspot.com - If all these seem a bit heavy, how about a feminist blog from a stand up comic? Cruella blog is the online musings of Kate Smurthwaite, a London-based blogger who describes her primary interests as "secularism, feminism and stand-up comedy..."
Mookychick loves Politics:
- Introduction to politcs
- Politics and the class system
- What left wing and right wing mean
- How the vote came about and why you should maintain the tradition
- The (interesting) history of parliament
- How not to vote
- How to go on a protest march
- How to stay safe on a protest march
- Queer Mutiny - a new queer movement
- Restorative justice
- Ann Coulter - Femine, Famous and Fascist
- No to Proposition 8
More Grrl Opinion and Blogs
- Babe's Bible | Riot Grrl | Music Minx | Wicca | Politics | Girl Geek | Kitsch Bitch
Mission statement
Mookychick believes that climbing trees and riding giant turtles is more fun and girly than worrying about make-up. But if you want to worry about make-up instead of turtles? Fine by us. Be you feminist, kitten, punk, emo, indie, goth, witch, vegan, horror junky, intellectual, christian goth, corset queen, geek, unicorn, sea monkey... be you into alternative style, alternative health, spirituality, comics, manga, j-pop, harajuku or jock culture... we will always love you.
Jo Middleton is a freelance journalist, charity consultant and sambuca swigging single mother of two. She lives in Somerset where she enjoys reading, writing and collecting Nancy Drew books. Find out more about her at www.jomiddleton.co.uk or www.monetas.co.uk, depending on whether you want to commission a breastfeeding feature or write a charity business plan.
