Yes, Virginia, Feminism Really Is Dead.

Apparently, if you launch a website for women in 2009, the most important question is whether or not it's feminist. At least, that's what you'd think, judging by today's launch of the women-oriented website you're reading. Only, the funny thing is, I thought feminism was dead. I mean, didn't we kill it already?

At best, it seems odd to judge a 21st century production by the politics of a decades-old movement, the relevance of which has been dubious for years now. The sense I get reading Jezebel's dismissive, snippy critique, which seems to amount to "you're a bunch of old farts, blppph," or Tracy Clark-Flory's more considered missive is that the only way to judge a female-oriented site is by whether or not it's "feminist." What gives? Aren't we over that already? I could have sworn feminism was cultural road kill, at this point. And isn't it intellectually reductive and culturally retarded to imply that the only site for women worth doing is one that follows an abstract set of political rules upon which no one can agree? It seems to me that "feminist" sites like the aptly-named Feministe are interested in having it both ways. They want all the power their feminist foremothers promised them—and the right to play full-time victims of the patriarchy. Get over it. Get on with it. I hope the feminist mantle doesn't fit Double X. I hope this site is bigger than that. I want to be more than a victim of the patriarchy, go farther than the feminist movement ever did, spend less time reading about women who are wondering if their supposed sisters are doing "the right thing" in terms of antiquated political concepts, and get the hell on with doing it already.

Tags: double x, feminism, Jezebel

VIEW THIS CONVERSATION

Susannah Breslin Freelance journalist, blogger, photographer.

Comments

What to do when it is true.

By: Military | Fri, 10/09/2009 - 13:30

What to do when it is true. Even tough I personally don;t think so, I think it may happen one day later. militare ordine del collare

Great post. A major

By: common1 | Fri, 10/02/2009 - 14:09

Great post. A major misconception or miscategorization is that the decision makers for software is invariably a developer; however, most developers follow specs more than their hearts and minds. It sucks that developers take the brunt of non-ideal business decisions. Cheap Logo Design - stationery design - Logo Design Services

Feminism will always stay, no

By: daycare | Thu, 10/01/2009 - 10:29

Feminism will always stay, no matter how hard the modern people deny it. Women have the instinct toward that. And we can't change a natural instinct. daycares in Dallas

I hope this site is bigger

By: saada | Thu, 10/01/2009 - 05:30

I hope this site is bigger than that. I want to be more than a victim of the patriarchy, go farther than the feminist movement ever did, spend less time reading about women who are wondering if their supposed sisters are doing "the right thing" in terms of antiquated political concepts, and get the hell on with doing it already..Thanks for sharing your views..
Free online games.
Regards,

Women would still love a lot

By: lemonadediet | Thu, 10/01/2009 - 01:45

Women would still love a lot if the blog is feminist. We can't get off what it is in our mind most of the time. And because feminist blogs somehow provide it, we seldom feel not interested in reading the content. So.., feminism is never dead.

Lemonade diet
เครื่องสำอางเกาหลี
Etude

Yes it is and about time

By: Duffy9 | Fri, 09/25/2009 - 09:50

Yes it is and about time to.

Duffy
women's health blog

Free Credit Help

By: oskieguy | Sun, 09/20/2009 - 10:49

I had a case of bad credit in 1992 and wanted to buy a home. When I went to my local bank the mortgage officer told me I had to get good credit, use a free credit dispute from or fix all the errors on my report. When I tried to contact Free Equifax credit report,Free Experian credit report and Free Trans Union credit report, but I found them impossible to contact. They seemed to try to hide the phone numbers addresses and company information so I made some web pages with contact info. Then I posted all the Free Credit Help things I did to fix errors and raise my credit score fast quickly free.

I Agree

By: mrclyght | Fri, 09/18/2009 - 13:54

A woman website does not compete in this world unless it's a nude website. other words the site would have to be a social network to have heavy traffic on it.

locksmith
locksmith

this is absurd

By: britbee | Thu, 09/17/2009 - 21:20

I have to absolutely disagree, feminism is NOT dead, I think you have completely misguided conceptions of what feminism is. Feminists are mother's that fight for government subsidized daycare and for their unpaid household labours and childcare be regarded as valuable and meaningful. They are the ones pushing their husbands to help around the house and insist there partners develop meaningful relationships with their children. Feminists are us women who are pushing everyone to re-evaluate what is important society. Feminists fight for gay-marriage, they fight for civil rights, they fight for easy access to birth-control and sexual education, they fight for stronger penalties against intimate violence.
While we have come along way from the 50s, and even the 70s and 80s, there is so much that can be done. It is clear that gender inequality STILL persists today, if it didn't, women and men would have equal opportunities and equal results. We may have equal opportunities (to education and the workforce), but the results... well lets face it, 48.9% of single parent mothers live in poverty, compared to 20% of single-parent fathers. For people over 65, 21% of women are poor, and 11% men are poor, and an earnings gap STILL exists (women make about 88% of what men do in full-time jobs) --- these are all Canadian statistics btw --- and I'm not asking you to burn your bra, or to curse the lives of men, I'm not even saying that men live better lives than women - it would be easy to make the opposite argument - all I am asking you is to realize that feminism is NOT what it was 20, 30, 100 years ago, but it is certainly NOT dead. I think you need to educate yourself about what is actually happening in society, and realize that feminism is not the pre-conceived notion you seem to have.

I think Feminism should

By: resh_lock | Thu, 09/17/2009 - 11:10

I think Feminism should present in this world.
locksmith in london
locksmiths in Manchester
locksmith Manchester
locksmith in london
locksmiths in london
London locksmith
locksmith in Liverpool
locksmiths in Liverpool
Liverpool Locksmith