When It Comes To Feminism, It's Good To Be Bad.

[RiffRandell]

I have some minor disagreements with the article, such as I despise the shows The Bachelorette/Bachelor.

I don't judge as I know it's a guilty pleasure for some and I have my own guilty pleasure shows like A Haunting, Intervention, Kelly & Michael (I know, I know!) but overall I think it's a very good article as I agree with the author's own definition regarding equality, and am very interested in reading Roxanne Gay's new book, which has received great reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Feminist-Essays-Roxane-Gay/dp/0062282719/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407857508&sr=1-1&keywords=roxanne+gay

It’s such questions that are at the heart of acclaimed writer Roxanne Gay’s new essay collection, titled, importantly, “Bad Feminist.” Gay, who too denied the F-word before growing into it, now claims that “Bad” as a preface for reasons varied and relatable—including a fondness for the color pink and a tendency to “play dumb with repairmen because it’s just easier to let them feel macho than it is to stand on the moral high ground.” She describes the common thread in her essays thusly: “How do we question the world we live in and question the popular culture that we consume while also admitting to our humanity and enjoying sometimes inappropriate things? And having inconsistent ideas?”

In other words: can one find “Blurred Lines” catchy and The Bachelorette irresistible while simultaneously understanding why she “should” find them both appalling and offensive? Why not? Gay’s work asks.

But interestingly, it’s been in allowing myself permission to own my contradictions — superficial though they may be — that has freed me to claim my F-card with pride, to acknowledge my anger at the injustices, to examine and voice my feelings on the meatier issues. The ones that define feminism for me: equal opportunity, equal treatment, equal pay, equal representation; the freedom to determine our own reproductive destiny. Structural support for working women and families. And finding a way to grow the tent so that all are welcome.

But she’s also fed by us: women are judged, no matter what label they claim. They are judged more harshly than men, and often, they are judged most harshly by other women. Even when it comes to how “good” they are at feminism: She says she’s a feminist, but is she feminist enough? Or: obviously she’s a feminist, why won’t she say so?

Link: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/bad-feminist?utm_content=bufferfc84e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[Warren DeMontague]

1. I think people get very attached to their labels, and often look for external validation thereof.

It leaves them vulnerable to self-appointed 'authorities' and 'experts'.

Just because you figured out how to set up a blog on tumblr, doesn't make you an authority.

That sort of thing.