Mona Eltahawy starts every talk she gives with “fuck the patriarchy.” The words are powerful, and made more so when spoken by a woman, particularly a woman of color and a Muslim. Her approach is the same when she’s writing. … Continue reading
Category Archives: Feminism
Jane Austen wrote horror novels. Don’t get me wrong. I think Jane Austen wrote great books, ones that show us so much of the detail and truth about the lives of some women in Regency England that it feels like … Continue reading
I frequently see on what my sweetheart refers to as my corner of social media lists of things that women must worry about that men don’t have to. While these lists are posted with good intentions, they perpetuate a lot … Continue reading
In this 3rd entry in my Horror Month movie binging, I want to talk about two movies that scream for context. By 1975, through consciousness raising, bra burning, and symbolic jettisoning of razor blades, feminists were scaring men. In 2004, … Continue reading
Over my years of training, I’ve always been a traditional martial artist. Before I began training in Aikido under a master instructor who had been a live-in student of the founder, I trained in Okinawan Shorin-Ryu karate under a high-ranking … Continue reading
In a stunning essay on freedom and power, “What to an American Is the Fourth of July?”, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi writes the following: [P]ower comes before freedom, not the other way around. Power creates freedom, not the other way … Continue reading
On Twitter, someone posted about a six-year-old who, when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, said “I want to be a weird person.” It dawned on me: That’s what I always wanted to be. I’ve succeeded, … Continue reading
For one thing, we didn’t elect the current president—at least not by popular vote. We brought the culture of weed to the suburbs, and now marijuana is legal in several states, and medical marijuana is legal even more places. Because … Continue reading
On social media, I regularly run across posts from talented and competent women talking about feeling that they’re not good enough at whatever they do. I see this with writers who aren’t well known and ones who have won awards. … Continue reading
I love my body. Since I live in a world that polices women’s bodies, one that tells us we are disgusting or imperfect no matter what we do, I make that statement with full feminist and political intent as well … Continue reading