As the end of the year approaches I can’t help but think about this semester, my experience with this blog, and a great feminist book I read. I came into this feminist blog without much previous experience discussing gender issues or studies but I knew it was important to me. I often felt like I was double and triple checking my posts to make sure I was making sense and not offending anyone because everyone has such different experiences which leads them to different perspectives. This factor that intimidated me in the beginning of the year is now one of the things I find most beautiful about this blog. If people get heated over issues it’s because they are passionate! So let’s hash out the details of things maybe I was afraid to really dive into before. I try to keep an open mind and open heart and absorb any knowledge I can in order to learn and then formulate my own opinions. These thoughts were only reaffirmed when I read Jennifer Baumgardner’s book “F’em: GooGoo, GaGa, and Thoughts on Balls”. With these next couple of posts I want to share interesting things I’ve learned as well as sharing what feminism has become to me.
I am writing this in two (possibly three) parts because there was so much good stuff in this book! This first post will be more general thoughts and reflections. Later post(s) will dive further into specific parts that sparked my attention.
Jennifer Baumgardner provides strong opinions and ideas in a very fresh, relatable, and interesting way. The first thing I loved about this book was the format. It is compromised of different articles and interviews that all intertwine into a great look into third wave feminism. I find her to be an important voice for third wave feminists because she identifies with us but has also had lots of experiences with second wave feminists.
I appreciate her honesty throughout the book. She does not hold back on critiquing the work of others but also always does so in such a respectful way. She never comes off with the vibe of putting someone else’s opinions down, she just shares her thoughts and explains why she identifies with her opinions instead of previous opinions shared by other feminists. I also really enjoyed the different interviews and articles about music. I write about music a lot because it is a passion of mine and is so fascinating! I have never looked much into feminist music besides songs I personally identify with. She opened my mind to a whole new area of music I have not even explored. The parts about music also reaffirmed my thoughts about the power and importance of music. Many women have made an impact in the music scene and even run their own feminist labels with all feminist bands, which was a cool concept to me. As I get ready to graduate and (hopefully) work in the industry I want to make sure I stay true to values of feminism that have become important to me through this blog and this book, which can be very hard in an industry that relies on the success of a handful of artists that need to sell. More to come soon from me and the wonderful Jennifer Baumgardner. What’s a great feminist book you have read? Leave a comment!
Besos!
ShoutOut! James Madison University 