Womankind, arise!

[Ms.Trick]

So, CrayonBreakyMe inspired me with her thread (https://www.buffy-boards.com/showthread.php?t=51850). So I'm making this new thread to talk about feminism, in general.

I realised that I'm pretty much a feminist. I'm a big Cretan lover because women were like worshipped there at the time, it was more of a matriarcal society. I did a presentation over the Amazons. Buffy is my hero. Veronica Mars is a role model. I did a work for school about The Influence of Women on punk culture. Yesterday I did a presentation about the Suffragettes. When I was a kid, I thought Xena was a bigger hero than Hercule. My favourite photographers are Diane Arbus and Bettina Rheims. JK Rowling is someone I really related to and aspired to be like. I'm more interested in Aspasie than in Pericles. Aggripina rocked my Latin class (okay, she was a bit crazy, very manipulative, dangerous, but still, I thought "One day, I will make a movie about her".)

So, Buffy Boarders!

What does it mean for you to be a feminist?
What do you think is empowering?
What phenomens, fact, annoys you, shock you because of their anti-feminism?
Who are your models, your heroes?
When and how did you realised that you were a feminist?
What are your favourites feminist topics/historic facts?
A word for the end?

 

[Professor Walsh]

The true north of my moral compass consists to a great degree of my belief in equality and solidarity. Seeing as power and balance is so unequally distributed in the world, being a feminist feels natural to me. Besides, my late aunt whom I was very close to for my whole life (until she passed away, obviously) was a 70's feminist to the bone, so I grew up with her thoughts and actions as a part of the tapestry that makes up my background. I don't really do hero-worshipping all that much, but Marie Curie has certainly been an inspiration for me even if she is not an official feminist per se.

I don't really have time to answer all of your questions right now, I have a house that looks like a riot has taken place and need to take some action. I'll pull out my old 8th March banner from 2009, though, one of the first banners I made. It pretty much sums up why I feel that feminism is necessary.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Thinkerbell/sigstuff/8mailite.jpg

 

[Ms.Trick]

As far as I'm concerned, I have grown up with my mother and my sister, I didn't really have any patriarcal influence. Xena was my hero (before Buffy exists) and at that time I naturally thought we, women, were the equal of men. Growing up, I realized that it was definitely not true in the society, and it is something I never really quite understood. Then, with history classes and all I learned that it takes roots very far in the past.
Women have been too long seen as damsels in distress, as brainless creatures, whose only use was to make children. Fortunately, that aspect has evolved with the time. Thanks to the Suffragettes we can vote. Because women helped in men's work during the war so the men could go fight for their countries, we gained recognition of out aptitude to be substitutes to men work.
I'd say things are better for us now, but still not perfect.

I lived 7 years in a street in which there were no Belgian left. I am not racist, at all, but I didn't feel confortable living in a place in which you were like a whore, a piece of meat if you didn't have your head covered with a veil. I tried to understand that phenomen and I genualy believe some women wear it because they want to.
But when you saw them on television, when they were asked why they were wearing it, some were saying "I've been thinking a lot about this, after a long, mature reflexion I decided I wanted to wear it". I thought it was a valuable reason. Some also said "It's to protect ourselves from men's look, it is to say we are not available for anyone". Okay. I thought "They do as they pleased."
But when you see all the time 6, 7 years old girl wearing the veil, did they really have a long, mature reflexion? Do little kids, not even prepubere, need to wear a veil to say to men "I'm protecting myself from your look, I wear it to say I'm not available for you"? I thought this was extremly disturbing.
So there I was, little 12 years old me, thinking "The solution is not to cover women's head, it's to cut men's eyes!" (yeah, I was quite extremist in my pre-feminism at times). Since I moved somewhere else but the problematic still gets me thinking. I even asked some girls, muslim girls "I don't mean to sound racist or like I don't respect your culture, but what do you think about the veil?"
Mostly, the answers were "If my parents were trying to make me wear it, I would rebel at wearing it". Some even said to me they really felt it was a sign of male domination.
I'm not trying to judge the veil, all I'm trying to say is that a woman should ALWAYS chose to wear it, it's not the patriarchal figure of the family who have to take the decision!

Tough, it's "funny" to see how things can be shocking as well in the other sense.
Like stars or girls-next-door who suddenly slut up to have boys' attention or success. Woman-object and everything. It just feels like in those extreme cases, women either answer to men's expectations by slutting up or they answer to patriarcal expectations by covering themselves.
I'm not saying at all that all women are in one of those two extreme but it's a feeling I get a lil bit too much, from say, too many people. And as long as I will see girls change to be more like men expect them to be, I wont consider our situation swell.

I'm also always surprised to see the non-success of this organisation around here. I don't know if it exist everywhere, but if I translate it it would be something like "Neither slut nor dominated". On Facebook, on blogs, I'm always badly surprised to see many girls saying things like "Lol that's ridiculous, like we can't be sluts or we don't like being dominated, I mean, SM power lol". Jeez!
I think the message is far from being "Be good little girls". I think it means "a woman has the right to do whatever she wants with her sexuality and men don't have the right to just assume we are sluts because we like to fool around or to look pretty".
I know I talked earlier about girls 'slutting up' a bit and falling in the woman-object problematic.
My whole point is actually that if a girl wants to be sexy, it is her right, but I'm against the sexiness for the sake of the sexiness, to have more success with guys or being more popular. Being sexy should always be a choice, not a last resort to have success.
I'm not sure I'm clear?

And those are just the problem I witnessed, I'm not talking about excision, Iran, and all the problems around the world.

That's all I have to say...For now.

 

[prophecygrrl]

What does it mean for you to be a feminist?

It means to be human. I honestly can't imagine not being a feminist.

What do you think is empowering?

I think...reading and writing, venturing into male-dominated spaces, talking about feminism, and generally doing things on my own terms without the influence of the patriarchy is empowering. 😀

What phenomens, fact, annoys you, shock you because of their anti-feminism?

Slut-shaming, girl-bashing, rape culture. Awful. Awful awful awful. Especially when they're perpetuated by other girls/women.
I also hate transmisogyny and non-binary erasure. I try to be as inclusive as I can when speaking about feminism, but I don't always succeed. Call me out if you see me forgetting about non-binary and trans folks. 😱 It's unintentional, just me being woefully ignorant/forgetful.

Who are your models, your heroes?

Buffy Summers, Princess Leia, Jane Eyre, Elizabeth Bennett for the fictional characters. 😀

I love bell hooks. I don't read a ton of formal feminist literature (though I really should, I just don't have the time), but I love her. Most of my feminist viewpoints are influenced from other feminists- bloggers, freelance writers, etc.

When and how did you realised that you were a feminist?

Always been one, really. I read a lot of YA fiction when i was younger (than I am now, I mean lol), particularly Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries, haha. She mentioned feminism and politics and I remember one of my favorite characters always having something smart to say about gender, or sex, or politics, and I subconsciously wanted to be like her. IDK. It piqued my interest, and I wanted to learn more.

What are your favourites feminist topics/historic facts?

Favorite feminist topics? I adore feminist media theory. Love it. I read so much of it. 😛

A word for the end?

Kyriarchy!! 😀 Smash it to pieces, everybody.

 

[zobothehobo]

I'm going to quote James here and say "I'm a humanist. I think it's not really fair to call myself a feminist because I don't think women are above men, we're equal. What would you say to someone who called themselves a 'malist'? So why call yourself a feminist?"

That being said, I'll answer these questions replacing feminism for gender equality.

What does it mean for you to be a feminist?
I'm a woman and I can be just as good at anything I set my mind to as a man can be. I can be strong physically and emotionally, I can be smart, I can be hard working, I can be determined. We are all equal... that is it.

What do you think is empowering?
When I see strong women being praised for their strength. The "ideal woman" is changing. No longer to people really think of the "ideal woman" as being a good housewife and that's it... but now a woman who is strong and successful is "ideal." That empowers me a great bit.

What phenomens, fact, annoys you, shock you because of their anti-feminism?
A lot shocks me because of it's anti-gender equality... If I started, I know I wouldn't stop... so I'm just going to not. When I'm in more of a ranty mood, I'll probably come back to this thread to rant.

Who are your models, your heroes?
Above all: my grandmother. This woman taught herself business management because she didn't have the opportunities to go to college, she raised three kids with a husband who believed that she should do all the housework and children raising stuff and ran one of the most successful interior design places in the state. She was highly well known and respected as an interior designer. She did a lot of big places and did the governor's mansion several times... On top of that, she was the kindest, sweetest person anyone would EVER meet and would go out of her way to help others. She never complained about anything. She was always working for equality and even when she wasn't treated equally, she held herself like she was. She wasn't treated equally at home all the time, but in public... everyone treated her like the amazing person she was. Her wake was the most attended wake to ever happen in our church because of it. She is the woman I strive to be like.

On top of that, I do look up to other strong women. Among them, the two biggest are are Buffy and Taylor Swift.

When and how did you realised that you were a feminist?
I realized I was for gender equality as soon as I realized we weren't treated equally. There has never been a time in my life when I haven't been pro-gender equality. When I was in pre-school, I liked playing with the toy cars more than I liked playing with the dolls. I was made fun of for that but I just said to the boys "everything you can do, I can do better."

What are your favourites feminist topics/historic facts?
Um... Not sure I have favorites.. I love talking about Joan of Arc though. A true hero.

A word for the end?
Gender equality. It's not just a nice thought, it's what we all deserve.

 

[BuffyElevated]

I am definitely a feminist. Ever since I was young, I was raised to believe that women can do anything they put their mind to, and that being a woman should never stop you from going after what you want and need, and you should always stand up for yourself and your femininity.
My parents divorced when I was young, and my mom was absent a lot through the growing years of my life. But I was lucky to have a very strong female support system in my grandma, aunts, and cousins. My biggest role model when I was young was my cousin Ronda. She was super pretty, but tough as nails to boot. She would walk out there on the basketball court in full makeup and still whip everyone's ass who came near her. She joined the Marines 2 years out of high school and proved she could be as rough and tumble and kick-ass as any of the men out there, but also dress up and be a damn sexy woman and I loved that. I loved that she made it look so easy to be both, while society told me that it wasn't possible to be both tough AND feminine.
The thing that frustrates me so much about the world is that there are these "role models" for little girls out there like iCarly and Hannah Montana, and they teach these kids that if you want to be cool you have to pile on makeup and lipgloss, and you should never fight for what you believe in; you should do as your told and let everyone else make your decisions. And don't even get me started on these dolls like the Bratz and Monster High dolls who send the message that if you're not into boys and clothes, you're not going to be popular. *rolls eyes*

 

[faeriegrrl27]

Feminism! 🙂

What Does it Mean for You to Be a Feminist?

It means believing in equality. Seeing now everyone as a man or woman, but rather everyone as a person. One might say that the movement shouldn't be called feminism then, but rather "equalism." I disagree. It's called feminism because it's the specific movement for gender rights. It sheds light specifically on inequalities and equalities in the area of gender and sex. I think it's important to have categories. If all equal rights movements were grouped together, it would be overwhelming. You can't clump everything together. Everything that's "good for humanity" can't all be in one group. Subcategories, like feminism, are there for clarity. Furthermore, feminism does *not* mean the belief that women are superior and men are evil. It means that people are people and that people are equal.

What Do You Think is Empowering?

Anything. Everything. It's dependent on the person. What empowers me, is strong female role models standing alongside strong male role models. I'm empowered by strong *people.* Good speeches are also very effective.

What phenomens, fact, annoys you, shock you because of their anti-feminism?

Well, a big pet peeve of mine is the sexual double standard. Despite the fact that straight-out sexism is ebbing away from our society, stereotypes continue to pervade. Men should be sexual. Women shouldn't. People think it without even realizing it. They'll hear about a girl who sleeps around and get shocked. She's a slut. And then they'll hear about a guy who gets around and they may not approve, but it's nothing out of the ordinary. And really- just look at all the derogatory terms there are for a sexually active woman: slut, whore, ho, skank... the list goes on and on. Are there even any for men?

These days, my *real* issue is non-feminism. Sexism in the guise of feminism. Female superiority, the setting up of a matriarchy. Feminism is *not* about putting women in power, about being worshipped. Feminism is about giving men and women equal rights. Seeing people as people instead of genders. There's this one chick on the interweb, Allecto, and she's a prime example. I actually have a nice little rant about her and her ideal here: https://buffy-boards.com/showthread.php?t=48003 (my full rant is on the second page, if you're interested). It gives feminism a bad name! I cannot stress how important it is to remember that feminism is about equality; *not* man-hating, matriarchy-making crazies!

Who Are Your Models, Your Heroes

Buffy Anne Summers, of course. What I love best is that she doesn't even claim to be a feminist. She just is. It's part of who she is and part of everyone on the show. Her being a chick is almost never a problem. It's just the way it is. That's how it should be- with strong women working with strong men and having no one even notice.

Joss Whedon. A self-acknowledged feminist. A brilliant writer. An inspiration to... everything. I know some people get annoyed at Whedon-worship; the idea that he can do no wrong. But I need that idea. I need to know that there is a real hero out there and Joss is mine.

Also dig Eve Ensler, Leora Tanenbaum, Ghandi, my dad, and Elizabeth Bennet.

[BWhen and how did you realised that you were a feminist?[/B]

I never really did. It's just a part of who I am, and always has been. I remember I used to see sexism everywhere and for a while I wanted to be a guy. I had a name picked out and everything. But then I realized I pretty much liked being a girl and there were better ways to deal with inequality. I don't remember the first time I thought of myself as a "feminist" per say, but I certainly have always believed in the feminist ideals.

What are your favourites feminist topics/historic facts?

Modern feminism around the world. I'm not so big on the history, although that's important. But I like to see how other cultures view gender equality. It's surprising and enlightening to realize what *I* think is for the best (especially gender-wise) isn't what everyone wants.

A Word for the End?

Hooray for Differdendoofer Day!

 

[Professor Walsh]

Zobo: Equlity, not female superiority, is absolutely my hope. I'm convinced, though, that feminism is necessary to get there.

 

[zobothehobo]

Zobo: Equlity, not female superiority, is absolutely my hope. I'm convinced, though, that feminism is necessary to get there.

I think that working on empowering females and changing the way females are looked at is the way to get there... I agree with a lot of the ways of the feminist movement. However, I don't like to call myself a feminist because there are some things about the feminist movement and some things about the word I don't like. I think there's nothing wrong with using the term humanism and saying I'm more of a humanist rather than a feminist.

 

[prophecygrrl]

I'm confused. What do you mean by humanism? Isn't humanism a response to religion, not a social movement?

BTW, I'm a secular humanist and a feminist.

---------- Post added at 05:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:54 PM ----------

ETA: I forgot to add a trigger warning for this! There is an account of sexual abuse in this video.

I came across a fantastic video today, talking about how gender normative attitudes and the patriarchy that promotes them hurts us all, men, women and non-binary folks:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td1PbsV6B80[/ame]

One part of his talk that struck me, at about the 10:00 mark: "My liberation as a man is tied to your liberation as a woman."

I agree with miromurr that feminism is an avenue for gender equality, not gender superiority. I thought this video was a nice support for that.

 

[randiann]

Feminism! 🙂



What phenomens, fact, annoys you, shock you because of their anti-feminism?
...These days, my *real* issue is non-feminism. Sexism in the guise of feminism. Female superiority, the setting up of a matriarchy. Feminism is *not* about putting women in power, about being worshipped. Feminism is about giving men and women equal rights. Seeing people as people instead of genders. There's this one chick on the interweb, Allecto, and she's a prime example. I actually have a nice little rant about her and her ideal here: https://buffy-boards.com/showthread.php?t=48003 (my full rant is on the second page, if you're interested). It gives feminism a bad name! I cannot stress how important it is to remember that feminism is about equality; *not* man-hating, matriarchy-making crazies!

Thank you for this. To be honest, I have never considered myself a feminist because of perceptions of peole such as this. I don't get the whole "I'm a woman, I hate men" slew that some people spout out there. To me, my comeback would be "I'm a woman; I don't hate men. Does this automatically mean I am an anti-feminist?" I disagree with the comment above that we cannot group all equal rights together. Yes, it is overwhelming, but to me there's no one real category more important than the other. Equality for women is not more important than equality for different races or equality for different sexual orientations, etc. etc.

I don't know. I grew up in a family with a very strong matriarchal figure who still dictates her approval over the family happenings and always will. She is a woman who married early, had 4 kids, and helped to support her family (along with my grandfather) while they both went to college and got their bachelor's and master's degrees. She then supported my grandfather through his very public career choice, and supported their family after his early death. She is a woman who has stood up for others as far as I can remember, and who completed college even though she was told by her admissions counselor that she was too dumb to go to college and she wouldn't succeed. She was my inspiration to finish college myself. Whenever life gets too hard, all I have to think is she did *insert hard life goal* with 4 kids, why can't I do it with one? But at the same time, I don't define her by her sex. I could define her as a woman, or as a racial minority, but it's more important for me to look past that and see a person. Perhaps she is why I don't see myself as a feminist per se. Because I am not defined by what is between my legs or on my chest. It's part of who I am, but it does not define me. My gender, religion, sexual orientation, and race are all parts of who I am but not one of those defines who I am or what I will become.


And here I want to go on about my theories of decolonization again for the second time tonight...


/Second long ramble of the night over.

 

[prophecygrrl]

I've never met a feminist who professes to hate men. That's not what feminism is about in the first place. It surprises me that other people haven't had this experience...I thought those types of feminists were a very small minority.

 

[Hero]

I think I'm going to be the only boy who posts in here. lmao

I was raised by my grandmother from the time I was born until I was about 14. It's not because my parents were absent from my life, but because they were working long hours to give me and my brother MORE than what we needed. So, I was pretty much raised by a woman. Grew up watching Buffy as my favorite show. And Halloween is my favorite film. At the end of the day, I guess you can say I'm a feminist because I support women in any situation that they wish to try their hand at.

However, I'm for equality for everyone man, woman, whatever. I don't feel like any gender should be regarded as "better" than the other. We each have different characteristics, body parts included, that we match each other to achieve progress in the world, productive life, raise children, etc. Men are physically stronger for the most part, but women are smarter and better listeners which makes them equally as dangerous in a different way! lol

Now, I just may be out of touch of reality, but is feminism needed anymore? Is there still this big gender gap in terms of equality between me and women? I think since I know men and women are equal, and have surrounded myself with people and media who support that view, I may not notice current issues.

 

[prophecygrrl]

Now, I just may be out of touch of reality, but is feminism needed anymore? Is there still this big gender gap in terms of equality between me and women? I think since I know men and women are equal, and have surrounded myself with people and media who support that view, I may not notice current issues.

Yes. Women are still paid only 75 cents to every man's dollar and women are still subjugated by anti-abortion laws. That's just in the U.S. In other parts of the world, especially in theocracies and developing countries, women are second class citizens. I refer you to this graphic, which I think is pretty concise: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lci3x4l93s1qe4zbdo1_400.jpg

There are a lot more reasons, but frankly listing all of the ways women are socially oppressed is depressing. Look up the terms slut shaming and rape culture, for starters.

 

[faeriegrrl27]

I disagree with the comment above that we cannot group all equal rights together. Yes, it is overwhelming, but to me there's no one real category more important than the other. Equality for women is not more important than equality for different races or equality for different sexual orientations, etc. etc.

I don't mean to imply that one form of equality is more important than another. If anything equality should be more equal than anything else... ha- irony. All I meant was that there are different categories of equality. None is more important that the others, but I think the categorization is needed to make sense of it all. Racial equality is no less or more important than gender equality, but recognizing it as different sort of discrimination is important in order to see how to deal with it. Sorry if it came off with me sounding like one was better than the other; I just mean distinguishing is important for purposes of dealing with it all.

However, I'm for equality for everyone man, woman, whatever. I don't feel like any gender should be regarded as "better" than the other. We each have different characteristics, body parts included, that we match each other to achieve progress in the world, productive life, raise children, etc. Men are physically stronger for the most part, but women are smarter and better listeners which makes them equally as dangerous in a different way! lol

Now, I just may be out of touch of reality, but is feminism needed anymore? Is there still this big gender gap in terms of equality between me and women? I think since I know men and women are equal, and have surrounded myself with people and media who support that view, I may not notice current issues.

I wouldn't say that women are better listeners. Some *people* are better listeners than others, but I wouldn't count "listening" as a biological attribute, and is therefore more likely to be non gender-based genetics (heredity) or social influence.

I'm with prophecygrrl on the need for feminism. Just listening in on a conversation on high school sexcapades is enough to tell you that. Slut-bashing is a great example of the social need for feminism, as are harassment, the way toy stores are set up (trucks for boys in one aisle, dolls for girls in the next), and even the way parents encourage different behaviors ("boys don't cry,"). Workplace pay is a great example for the political need for feminism. Fighters for equality are always needed.

 

[Hero]

Yes. Women are still paid only 75 cents to every man's dollar and women are still subjugated by anti-abortion laws. That's just in the U.S. In other parts of the world, especially in theocracies and developing countries, women are second class citizens. I refer you to this graphic, which I think is pretty concise: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lci3x4l93s1qe4zbdo1_400.jpg

There are a lot more reasons, but frankly listing all of the ways women are socially oppressed is depressing. Look up the terms slut shaming and rape culture, for starters.

Oh, I didn't know that the money this was still a problem. I thought we solved that a while ago. Interesting. The abortion thing, I don't think that's so much a man vs woman issue, more of an inequality issue. Because I know tons of men are pro-abortion (pro-choice is the same thing, right? lol). I can see anti-abortion laws being an issue in general because taking the right to choice from women is just that, taking their right away. Haven't some states legalized abortion now?

Well, in general my post was in response to America's stance on women. Obviously in other countries, I know some parts of the Middle East especially, women are treated like second class humans. My question is: Is there any fact or news that these women aren't happy being treated the way they do? I've been under the assumption that they accept it because of their culture/religion and don't really have a problem with it. we know that women aren't made to be covered up, walk behind men, get stoned to death if they cheat, etc etc etc, but do they, personally, find anything wrong with it? Not trying to stick up for the rules over there, just wondering.

 

[prophecygrrl]

Oh, I didn't know that the money this was still a problem. I thought we solved that a while ago. Interesting. The abortion thing, I don't think that's so much a man vs woman issue, more of an inequality issue. Because I know tons of men are pro-abortion (pro-choice is the same thing, right? lol). I can see anti-abortion laws being an issue in general because taking the right to choice from women is just that, taking their right away. Haven't some states legalized abortion now?

Well, in general my post was in response to America's stance on women. Obviously in other countries, I know some parts of the Middle East especially, women are treated like second class humans. My question is: Is there any fact or news that these women aren't happy being treated the way they do? I've been under the assumption that they accept it because of their culture/religion and don't really have a problem with it. we know that women aren't made to be covered up, walk behind men, get stoned to death if they cheat, etc etc etc, but do they, personally, find anything wrong with it? Not trying to stick up for the rules over there, just wondering.

Oppression of women isn't always man vs woman. An inequality issue is an inequality issue. (Though some (including myself) would argue that considering the political arena is still male-dominated and very gender biased/sexist, the abortion situation in the U.S. is man vs woman) All states have legalized abortion because of Roe vs. Wade, the issue is the current movement to overturn Roe vs. Wade and several states creating intrusive and gender biased laws restricting abortion. I'd rather not get into another abortion debate, so I hope people don't take this as some kind of pro-choice manifesto, I'm just stating that the question of abortion affects the standing and rights of women.

Well first off, I don't think that being covered up (to clarify: I mean wearing a hijab; I have to admit my knowledge of Islamic culture is relatively limited) is necessarily treating women like second class citizens. That practice is a product of culture. I suppose the issue there is oppressing women who choose not to wear it- that I'm not in favor of, for obvious reasons. But I don't think it's my place or anyone's place (anyone who has not lived that life or who has limited understanding of said culture) to change this practice and oppress the women who do choose to wear it. (looking at you, France!)

On your other points...yes, I imagine most women do not accept situations involving rape, sexual assault, abuse, honor killings, etc. Violence against women is not taken seriously in many countries (for that matter, many times it's not taken seriously in the U.S. and Western countries either), and women pay the price for it. Whether or not issues like that are acceptable is not a question of Western standards of morality, but basic humanity. No woman should have to accept abuse as a reality of their context and their culture.

---------- Post added 12-13-2010 at 12:02 AM ---------- Previous post was 12-12-2010 at 10:09 PM ----------

miromurr agrees: Who/what is bell hooks?

She's an amazing feminist author and activist! 🙂

Here's a wikipedia article on her: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks

Gloria Jean Watkins (born September 25, 1952), better known by her pen name bell hooks,[1][2] is an American author, feminist, and social activist. Her writing has focused on the interconnectivity of race, class, and gender and their ability to produce and perpetuate systems of oppression and domination. She has published over thirty books and numerous scholarly and mainstream articles, appeared in several documentary films and participated in various public lectures. Primarily through a postmodern perspective, hooks has addressed race, class, and gender in education, art, history, sexuality, mass media and feminism.

Lol, yes, it's wikipedia, but it's still pretty accurate and more comprehensive than I can be at the moment. One of the fiercest feminist intellectuals whose works I've been lucky enough to come across.

 

[Willow My Love]

I'm not really sure I'd call myself a feminist. I love being female, save four or five days of the month, and I disagree with some of society's views, but I'm not super into it.

Willow is one of my heros because she was so strong all on her own. I'll probably add more when it's not 3.30 am...

 

[Professor Walsh]

Oh. Pet hate. Peeeeeeeeeet hate: Sports equipment for girls and boys where the function is excactly the same, but that have a visual design separating the girls' equipment from the boys. Winter sports equipment, at least, is not outworn by children. Skis and such can be handed down from sister to brother, from cousin to cousin, to the next door neighbour, so it makes sense both economically and environmentally to buy a gender-neutral design. Here, one of the largest series of winter sports stuff for children is called «Frost». Gender-neutral? Not so much.

Text on the snowboard: "Warning: Adults keep off"

Text on the snowboard: "Boys keep off"

Now, a girl can come to school with the polar bear design insisting that "adults keep off" without getting much flak if she's a bit of a tomboy. I don't think I'll be sending any of my boys out with the pink one anytime soon, though. Here, at least, a tomboyish girl is often considered cool, whereas a boy who likes his dolls and purple shoes is getting far less respect. Is there even a word like "tomboy" to describe boys?

 

[InsaneMystic]

Is there even a word like "tomboy" to describe boys?

Sure, lots. Starting with "sissy" and only getting worse from there. Sexism and homophobia - two discriminations for the price of one.