“We think of a feminist as someone a woman becomes in reaction to personal indignities and social injustices. But the truth is, such inequities only awaken her to the feminist she has always fundamentally been - that is, a person who understands that her first responsibility is to her own humanity. That's why, for my money, the first known use of the word 'feminist' is still the best, appearing in an 1895 book review: a woman who 'has in her the capacity of fighting her way back to independence.” ThinkingWayFirstsPersonsStillsBookUseHumanityFightingSocialResponsibilityKnownFeminismTruth IsCapacityIndependenceInjusticeFeministReactionsReviewsAppearingIndignitySocial InjusticeBook Review Author:Susan Faludi
“Feminism rotates between backlash and interest. And the cool thing about the Internet is that it's allowing women more access to their own history. Part of the problem before the Internet was that we didn't know which books to read. Someone had to tell you.” KnowsBookProblemInterestFeminismInternetAccessAllowingCool ThingsBacklash Author:Kathleen Hanna
“Feminism is still one of those taboo words, so hardly anybody talks about it. People usually go gender-neutral and say the book and film [Room] are about "the triumph of the human spirit.” PeopleHumansStillsBookFilmSpiritRoomsFeminismGenderTriumphHuman SpiritTaboo Author:Emma Donoghue
“I've written 18 books, mostly dealing with issues of social justice, ending racism, feminism, and cultural criticism.” BookSocialJusticeIssuesWrittenFeminismRacismCriticismSocial JusticeEnding Racism Author:Bell Hooks
“To me, feminism in literature deals with the female characters being in some way central to the thematic concerns of the book, or that they are agents of change to some degree. In other words, the lens is focused deeply and intensely on the female characters and doesn't waver, which allows for a glimpse into the rich inner lives of the characters.” WayBookCharacterLiteratureDealsRichFeminismDegreesConcernFemaleFocusedAgentsGlimpseLensesInner LifeFemale CharactersThematic Author:Laurie Foos
“My generation was not only maligned in book reviews and attacked in graduate school but we lived to see our adored and adorable daughters wonder why feminism had become a dirty word.” BookSchoolMotherWonderGenerationsFeminismDaughterDirtyReviewsGraduatesMy GenerationNaughtyAdorableGraduate SchoolDirty WordsBook Review Author:Erica Jong
“I know I certainly wouldn't be writing books if it hadn't been for the feminist blogosphere, and I think that's a really amazing thing. And just the sheer power of outreach I think is incredible. It used to be that if someone was to get involved in feminism, it was probably because they were already interested. They were already interested in feminism; they were already interested in being an activist, and they found their way to like a NOW meeting or to a consciousness-raising group or something like that.” ThinkingWritingBookFeminismMeetingsIncrediblesFeministActivistGet InvolvedWriting A BookReally AmazingOutreach Author:Jessica Valenti
“I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited.” PeopleWantFeelsI CanBookFeminismSkillsTrainClassicToneShadeVariationBeing A WomanFamous Inspirational Author:Sylvia Plath
“I wanted to start a website for teenaged girls that was not kind of this one-dimensional strong character empowerment thing, because one thing that can be very alienating about a misconception of feminism is that girls then think that to be feminists, they have to live up to being perfectly consistent in their beliefs, never being insecure, never having doubts, having all the answers...and this is not true and actually, recognizing all the contradictions I was feeling became easier once I realized that feminism was not a rule book but a discussion, a conversation, a process.” ThinkingKindBookCharacterFeelingsWantedGirlBeliefStrongProcessAnswersDoubtOne ThingFeminismEasierConversationEmpowermentFeministI RealizedDiscussionConsistentContradictionInsecureRecognizingBadassWebsiteMisconceptionThat GirlStrong CharacterBeing Insecure Author:Tavi Gevinson
“I'm writing a review of three books on feminism and science, and it's about social constructionism. So I would say I'm a social constructionist, whatever that means” WritingMeanBookThreeSocialFeminismFeministReviews Author:Clifford Geertz
“Janet Mock's honest and sometimes searing journey is a rare and important look into la vida liminal, one that she manages to negotiate remarkably well, with grace, humor, and fierce grit. Mock doesn't only redefine what realness means to her, but challenges us to rethink our own perceptions of gender and sexuality, feminism and sisterhood, making this book a transcendent piece of American literature.” WellsLooksMeanImportantBookSometimesLiteratureChallengesGracePiecesJourneyFeminismHonestPerceptionGenderSexualityManageVidaFierceGritSisterhoodTranscendentMockAmerican LiteratureRealnessGender And Sexuality Author:Raquel Cepeda