“The stereotypes of feminists as ugly, or man-haters, or hairy, or whatever it is - that's really strategic. That's a really smart way to keep young women away from feminism, is to kind of put out this idea that all feminists hate men, or all feminists are ugly; and that they really come from a place of fear.” MenWayKindIdeasYoungHateFeminismSmartFeministUglyYoung WomenStereotypeStrategicHate MeReally SmartMan Hater Author:Jessica Valenti
“I think the idea that feminism is dead is dangerous because it leads women and men to believe that (1) they don't have to do anything; the work has been done, and that everything is okay now; and (2) it leaves them kind of alone, I think, in a struggle, and that's something I've seen a lot when I go to colleges and I speak to young women.” ThinkingMenBelieveKindHas BeensIdeasDoneYoungSpeakStruggleFeminismDangerousCollegeMen And WomenOkayYoung Women 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
“I don't find the wave model very productive, because I think it kind of serves to fan the flames of generational tension, or make it seem like there's more generational tension than there actually is.” ThinkingKindSeemsFansModelsWaveFlamesTensionProductive Author:Jessica Valenti
“The studies about differences between the sexes that you see kind of get propped up in the media are more often than not denigrating women in some way, saying that women really don't have any spatial understanding, and that's why they can't park.” WayKindSexUnderstandingDifferencesStudyMediaParksSpatial Author:Jessica Valenti
“It used to be, if you wanted to have a strong, influential voice in the feminist movement, you really needed to be part of this New York/D.C. elite group of feminists, or part of a mainstream feminist organization. And now it's kind of an amazing thing that you can just start a blog and put your voice out there and build your readership.” IfsKindWantedUsedStrongVoiceGroupsNew YorkMovementNeededOrganizationFeministUsed To BeElitesMainstreamBlogsInfluentialAmazing ThingsReadershipFeminist Movement Author:Jessica Valenti
“I think the biggest hurdle American feminists have in terms of taking a more global approach is that too often when you hear American feminists talk about international feminism or women in other countries, it kind of goes along with this condescending point of view like we have to save the women of such-and-such country; we have to help them.” ThinkingKindCountryHelpingTermViewsFeminismApproachInternationalFeministPoint Of ViewOther CountriesHurdleCondescending Author:Jessica Valenti
“Obviously Feministing is kind of a women's space in a certain way, even though we have a lot of male readership and people who don't identify as women.” PeopleWayKindCertainSpaceMalesReadership Author:Jessica Valenti
“I think that online harassment has become so ubiquitous on the Internet that a lot of women do feel safer, whatever that means, in spaces where they know like people are not going to bother them in that kind of way.” PeopleThinkingKnowsWayFeelsKindMeanSpaceInternetBotherOnlineHarassment Author:Jessica Valenti
“If there's an article about sexual assault, if there's a video about feminism on YouTube, you're going to get the most horrible, disgusting comments ever. And sometimes the comments are pornographic, and sometimes the comments are really harassing. So I think that it's kind of a difficult place for women to write sometimes.” IfsThinkingWritingKindSometimesDifficultFeminismHorribleVideoCommentArticlesDisgustingAssaultYoutubeSexual Assault Author:Jessica Valenti
“The Internet is the new public space. And because women are out in public, people don't like that in much the same way that if you're walking down the street you get harassed. I think the same kind of thing happens online, and I think that's why a lot of women are hesitant to put their voice out there.” PeopleIfsThinkingWayKindHappensVoiceSpaceStreetsInternetWalkingThings HappenOnlineHesitant Author:Jessica Valenti
“I think it is effective when activists work from the margins, and I think that's the best way to go about it. And I do think that it's increasingly being more effective with the work that's being done online, that it is a bit more democratized, that whatever kind of activism is being done, it's not necessarily coming from one centralized place.” ThinkingWayKindDoneBitsActivismBest WayOnlineActivistMarginsBeing Done Author:Jessica Valenti
“I saw an article where the manager of the Pussycat Dolls, which is kind of this like striptease band, girl band, said, oh well, the girls are totally third-wave feminist. This is what third-wave feminism is about. Like you don't get to use that word. You don't get to say that something is feminist as a way to sell back sexism to women, as a way to further consumerist ideas.” WayWellsKindSaidIdeasUseGirlSawsFeminismLike YouBandThirdsSellsWaveFeministManagersSexismArticlesDollsOh Well Author:Jessica Valenti
“I think that the ideal of young womanhood as it's seen in pop culture specifically is a really kind of vapid, conceited, concerned with money and looks kind of thing that you'll see in a lot of reality shows. And I think that's really damaging, not just because it's a terrible role model to put forth, but that it also puts across this idea to the American public that this is what young women are like, that this is what all young women in America are like.” ThinkingLooksKindIdeasShowsRealityAmericaYoungCultureRolesTerribleModelsConcernedIdealsPopsRole ModelsYoung WomenWomanhoodPop CultureConceitedReality ShowsVapid Author:Jessica Valenti
“When I did get married, and specifically after I got married and the New York Times style section featured my wedding in the vows column, which is really traditionally kind of seen as an elitist column, and it is, but I was happy to be in it. I thought it was good that they were covering a feminist wedding.” KindStyleNew YorkMarriedFeministSectionsVowCoveringColumnsNew York TimesElitist Author:Jessica Valenti
“I think the biggest obstacle I still have to overcome is myself, and just kind of struggling every day with what to do with the work and where to go next.” ThinkingKindStillsNextStruggleOvercomingObstaclesBiggest Obstacles Author:Jessica Valenti
“I think my biggest career mistake has been taking on too much. And I think this is kind of - I think it's related to the Internet world, where you're always multitasking and you have a million windows open and you feel like you can do a lot at the same time.” ThinkingWorldFeelsKindHas BeensCan DoMistakeCareersMillionsToo MuchLike YouInternetWindowRelatedMultitasking Author:Jessica Valenti
“Something I say a lot when it comes to anti-feminist stereotypes is that they exist for a reason. The stereotypes of feminists as ugly, or man-haters, or hairy, or whatever it is - that's really strategic. That's a really smart way to keep young women away from feminism, is to kind of put out this idea that all feminists hate men, or all feminists are ugly; and that they really come from a place of fear. If feminism wasn't powerful, if feminism wasn't influential, people wouldn't spend so much time putting it down.” PeopleMenKindReasonHatePowerfulFeminismSmartFeministUglyYoung WomenStereotypeInfluentialHate MeReally SmartInfluential People Author:Jessica Valenti
“I always go with the dictionary definition of feminism, which is just social, political and economic equality for women. And that's kind of a strategic thing on my part, because I think that it's the hardest definition to argue with. You know, who doesn't want that? Everyone wants equality for women.” ThinkingKindPoliticalFeminismEconomicArguingDictionary Author:Jessica Valenti
“One of the things I really like about doing work online, and the thing I like about the work I'm doing now, is that I get to meet feminists all the time and I get to read new feminists every day on the blogosphere. And it's really that kind of diversity of thought that informs me more than anything else these days. It's just kind of learning something new all the time. And I kind of love that there's not really a feminist canon; or maybe there is, but it's being changed, that it's a constantly moving canon in the feminist blogosphere. I love that.” KindMovingChangedDiversityFeministOnlineSomething New Author:Jessica Valenti
“I think that blogging and the Internet has completely changed feminism for ever, I think. You know, it used to be, 10 years ago, if you wanted to have a strong, influential voice in the feminist movement, you really needed to be part of this New York/D.C. elite group of feminists, or part of a mainstream feminist organization. And now it's kind of an amazing thing that you can just start a blog and put your voice out there and build your readership.” ThinkingKindStrongFeminismChangedInternetFeministInfluentialFeminist Movement Author:Jessica Valenti
“I think feminism has always been global. I think there's feminism everywhere throughout the world. I think, though, for Western feminism and for American feminism, it not so surprisingly continues to center Western feminism and American feminism. And I think the biggest hurdle American feminists have in terms of taking a more global approach is that too often when you hear American feminists talk about international feminism or women in other countries, it kind of goes along with this condescending point of view like we have to save the women of such-and-such country; we have to help them.” ThinkingWorldKindCountryHelpingTermFeminismWesternFeministPoint Of ViewHurdleCondescending Author:Jessica Valenti
“I think that it's incredibly important that we're actually paying attention to the feminism that's going on on the ground in different countries and see what we can do to support the work that's already going on, as opposed to kind of assuming that we know best for women in other areas.” ThinkingKindImportantDifferentCountryAttentionSupportFeminismAssumingPay Attention Author:Jessica Valenti
“There was no real strategic decision about editorial tone. It was kind of a write whatever you want to write, and we'll see how it goes. I think that we lucked out in that all of the women who started writing at Feministing.com were really funny, and I don't think that's something people are used to seeing or hearing when they read feminism. You know, you think feminism and you kind of think academic, women's studies, dry, humorless; there are all of these stereotypes that go along with what feminist thought is and what feminist writing is.” PeopleThinkingWritingKindRealDecisionStudyFeminismFeministAcademicStereotype Author:Jessica Valenti
“We've been growing our readership every month, and we're kind of like, where are they all coming from? This is wonderful! And I think one of the best surprises was that you hear so often that young women don't care about feminism, that young women don't identify as feminists. But really, the majority of our readers are young women. So to see so many young people kind of get involved and really take to Feministing.com was a really exciting thing.” PeopleThinkingKindCareWonderfulFeminismExcitingSurpriseFeministYoung WomenGet Involved Author:Jessica Valenti
