“As I grew up and began identifying myself as a feminist, there were plenty of issues that continued to make me question marriage: the father "giving" the bride away, women taking their husband's last name, the white dress, the vows promising to "obey" the groom. And that only covers the wedding.” GivingLastsFatherNamesWhiteIssuesGrewHusbandGrew UpDressesFeministPlentyVowBridesIdentifying Author:Jessica Valenti
“There's no benefit to saying that you're a feminist. But you do kind of get a nice patriarchal pat on the head if you say, oh, I'm not like that, like I'm not one of those crazy feminists, which is something that happens a lot, where young women or young men will express some sort of feminist ideal, will say, you know, I think it's crap that Wal-Mart won't give out emergency contraception, but I'm not one of those crazy feminists.” IfsThinkingKnowsMenGivingKindHappensYoungNiceCrazyBenefitsIdealsFeministYoung ManCrapYoung WomenEmergenciesContraception Author:Jessica Valenti
“If you don't identify as a feminist, you're missing out on this whole community that's out there that could really help you with your work, help you with your personal life, and just give you support.” IfsGivingWholeHelpingCommunitySupportMissingFeministPersonal LifeMissing Out Author:Jessica Valenti
“I think that almost all traditional institutions are sexist, and they're probably racist and homophobic, and they're all of these things. But a lot of them, like marriage, are too embedded into the culture to give up.” ThinkingGivingCultureGiving UpInstitutionsTraditionalRacistEmbeddedSexistHomophobic Author:Jessica Valenti
“People are not going to give up marriage. But we can try to make it more fair. We can try to change that institution and make it more equal.” PeopleGivingTryingEqualGiving UpFairsInstitutions Author:Jessica Valenti
“Whether people identify as feminists or not, if they're doing work that furthers a feminist cause, I think that's wonderful, like if it works for me, right, it works for the movement. But I do think that personally they're missing out. If you don't identify as a feminist, you're missing out on this whole community that's out there that could really help you with your work, help you with your personal life, and just give you support.” PeopleThinkingGivingHelpingCommunitySupportWonderfulMissingFeministPersonal LifeMissing Out Author:Jessica Valenti
“You come to a point where you give up on holding yourself to a perfect feminist ideal — it just feels stifling.” GivingFeelsPerfectGiving UpIdealsFeministStifling Author:Jessica Valenti
“As indicated by the increase in maternal mortality in 2010, right now it's more dangerous to give birth in California than in Kuwait or Bosnia. Amnesty International reports that women in [the United States] have a higher risk of dying due to pregnancy complications than women in forty-nine other countries (black women are almost four times as likely to die as white women). The United States spends more than any other country on maternal health care, yet our risk of dying or coming close to death during pregnancy or in childbirth remains unreasonably high.” GivingCountryStatesCareDiesBlackWhiteUnitedUnited StatesFourRiskDyingDangerousBirthHigherRight NowIncreaseRemainsInternationalDuesNineHealth CareCaliforniaReportsFortyMortalityPregnancyOther CountriesBlack WomenChildbirthComplicationAmnestyBosniaKuwaitAmnesty InternationalClose To DeathMaternal Health Author:Jessica Valenti
“The less obvious hurdle is that of preparing parents emotionally and putting forward realistic images of parenthood and motherhood. There also needs to be some sort of acknowledgement that not everyone should parent - when parenting is a given, it's not fully considered or thought out, and it gives way too easily to parental ambivalence and unhappiness.” WayNeedsGivingShouldGivenParentObviousMotherhoodUnhappinessParenthoodRealisticPreparingParentalAcknowledgementHurdleAmbivalence Book:Why Have Kids?: A New Mom Explores the Truth about Parenting and Happiness Source: Why Have Kids?: A New Mom Explores the Truth about Parenting and Happiness
