Feministing.com creator and freelance writer Jessica Valenti chats with Artemis reporter Kiera Manion-Fischer about online activism, the future of feminism and why it still matters.
Jessica Valenti wanted to show young women the truth about feminism that didn’t include the negative stereotypes associated with the word, so in 2004, she started Feministing.com, a feminist blog that covers everything from policy issues to pop culture.
“We wanted to create a site that showed feminism for what it really was. That it was about politics and activism but also that it was funny and cool and edgy and cutting edge,” she said in a speech at the University of Akron in March.
She wanted to give young women a chance to speak for themselves.
Valenti and her fellow editors offer sarcastic and insightful commentary on feminist issues. Today, the blog pulls about 25,000 readers a day. This interview is a mix of e-mailed and
in-person questions with Valenti, executive editor of Feministing.com, freelance writer and blog consultant.
Q: In one of your posts, you said: “Young women don’t need to be NOW members to be activists, and they don’t need to read Ms. or vote for Hillary Clinton to be feminist bona fides.” How can young women be feminists?
A: I think that young women can be feminists just by integrating feminism and anti-sexism into their everyday lives. We don’t need to be activists in order to have feminism frame the way we think about things. I believe that simply believing in feminist values makes you a feminist.
Q: Who are the new generation of feminists? What are they doing?
A: I think that there are so many young feminists it’s difficult to name them! You can check out therealhot100.org for a great list of younger women making a difference in their communities. But young feminists are everywhere — they’re blogging, creating organizations, volunteering and going to school. You don’t have to look far to find a feminist!
Q: How do you define feminism?
A: I use the dictionary definition of feminism; social, economic and political equality for women — because it’s true and because it’s the most difficult for people to argue with!
Q: What is the purpose of feministing.com? Is it geared more toward younger women? Why?
A: Feministing was created to provide a space for younger women and feminists to speak their minds and talk about issues that affect their lives. Naturally, the site is for women and men of all ages, but the writers are young women — we thought this was important because so few spaces are dedicated to just young feminists.
Q: A recent New York Times article described you as saying that the future of feminism is in online activism. What does that mean?
A: I think that online activism is a great tool not only for outreach but for democratizing feminism in a way that we haven’t been able to do before. Already, younger feminists are more visible because of online blogging and organizing, so I think it’s only going to get better.
Q: Your book, Full Frontal Feminism, is described as “a primer on why feminism matters.” Why does feminism still matter?
A: Feminism still matters because sexism still exists — it’s that simple.
CONTENT
The Starbucks phenomenon
Creative souls
A mother's balancing act
Know your options
How to deceive the man of my choice
Protecting more than futures
Fighting for the other 50 percent
It's time for a series finale
Rallying feminist bona fides
Taking nothing for granted
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Mother, student, intern
Discovering their inner strengths
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