While I was offline for a month, I kept a note of any links and news stories worth commenting on. Now that I’m back, I’m aiming to post two short items a day here, about stuff that happened during my online absence, until I’ve cleared the backlog. This is one of those.
I don’t have much to add in this particular case, but I thought it was worth drawing another smidge of attention to. The Blag Hag had a great description up of what feminism should be about, referencing a rather more explicit and detailed post over at Pervocracy.
The main thrust is that it’s not about simply adhering to or avoiding a pre-ordained list of actions, but about the reasons for choosing those actions:
It’s the difference between dressing modestly because it’s comfortable or keeps you warm, and dressing modestly to avoid being jailed or raped because you were “asking for it.” Between liking football and Grand Theft Auto because they entertain you, and liking football and Grand Theft Auto because you don’t want to dare to have stereotypically “girly” hobbies. Between forgoing makeup because you’re too lazy in the morning and forgoing makeup because otherwise you won’t be taken seriously at work.
This is what I mean when I call myself a feminist. I know some people are put off the label by what other people seem to mean by it, and by the sex-negative or gynarchal opinions that seem to be popular in some feminist quarters, but I’m okay with the idea that what I mean by this word doesn’t have to be identical to what everyone else means by it.
