Tag Archive for "Personal Is Political"

Posts Tagged Personal Is Political

The Personal is Political: Reflections on my feminism at 25

The personal is political. Sound familiar? If you’ve ever taken a beginner’s Gender Studies course, or read anything about the second wave of feminism in the 1960’s and 70’s, it probably does. It was the collective cry of women who wanted their feminism to be taken seriously as a platform for acknowledgment of their lived experiences, but also one for political resistance and transformation.

I’ve abandoned most of what I learned about second wave feminism for the sheer irrelevancy of it to any of my life, but if I retained one thing, it was the the personal is political. As I reflect on what it means to be a 25 year old (as of today!) black (girl) woman and feminist, I ...

By Chloe Angyal • 12 years ago

Guest post: An open letter to my male friends who make sexist “jokes”

This is guest post is by Doreen Bloch, a young entrepreneur and author. Doreen is the author of the forthcoming book, The Coolest Startups in America, and the CEO and Founder of Poshly Inc. She is a member of the Young Entrepreneur Council and is a regular contributor to Under30CEO.

When I asked Doreen to explain what impelled her to write this post (originally posted on her blog), she told me that one of her guy friends pseudonymously tweets comedy and sarcasm, and that in addition to being a popular tweeter, he’s a leader in his offline community. “His tweets are fantastic, but every now and then, he makes sexist ...

This is guest post is by Doreen Bloch, a young entrepreneur and author. Doreen is the author of the forthcoming book, The Coolest Startups in America, and the CEO and Founder of

By Lori Adelman • 12 years ago

With great passion comes deep ambivalence: Saturday’s SlutWalk and me

This Saturday October 1st, SlutWalk hits New York City.

I’ve been following the SlutWalk movement for awhile now. Back in April I had the opportunity to interview the original SlutWalk Toronto founders. I’ve also written previously about my involvement with some of the SlutWalk NYC organizing efforts, and my disappointment in the media coverage around SlutWalk, and hosted a rich guest post by Harsha Walia outlining some of the incredibly valid critiques of SlutWalk and describing the thought process behind her decision to march. Other members of the Feministing family have written on the topic in great detail, including much of the crew in this group chat with Rebecca Traister, and Jessica Valenti ...

This Saturday October 1st, SlutWalk hits New York City.

I’ve been following the SlutWalk movement for awhile now. Back in April I had the opportunity to interview the original SlutWalk Toronto founders. I’ve also ...

By Chloe Angyal • 12 years ago

“You’re a fucking slut,” and other things you should not say to a stranger on the subway

A few weeks ago, I was on my way back from a long, hard run through Manhattan. I had had a really shitty day, and while the run had been hard, I was hoping that it would send some welcome endorphins pumping through my body. I stood on the subway, sweaty but pleased with myself, with my usual cool-down music piping loudly through my headphones. As I stood there, I became aware that the man standing next to me was speaking to me.

I ignored him. I had had a long, crappy day, and I didn’t want to talk to a stranger. I wanted to stand on the subway, let the air conditioning evaporate the sweat off my skin, listen to ...

A few weeks ago, I was on my way back from a long, hard run through Manhattan. I had had a really shitty day, and while the run had been hard, I was hoping that it would ...

By Chloe Angyal • 12 years ago

When dads hollaback

On Wednesday of this week, a man – we’ll call him Shmobert, to protect his anonymity – was returning walking through downtown Sydney on his way back from his lunch break.

On the corner of a street, he came across a gaggle of young women handing out promotional fliers to passing pedestrians. Across the road was a construction site, where scaffolding had been put up around the outside of a building. About a storey off the ground, the scaffolding formed a walkway, and along the walkway stood about six construction workers, lined up and facing the street making obscene gestures at the women across the street. The women had noticed, and to Shmobert, it seemed that most of them were studiously ...

On Wednesday of this week, a man – we’ll call him Shmobert, to protect his anonymity – was returning walking through downtown Sydney on his way back from his lunch break.

On the corner of a street, he ...

By Jos Truitt • 12 years ago

Telling our stories, winning on our issues

During Netroots Nation I attended an LGBT strategy caucus. Our conversation focused on same sex marriage, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) repeal, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and Uniting American Families Act as case studies. What have we done well on these issues, where have we struggled, and what can we learn?

For me, the major take away from this conversation was the need to tell our stories. When a political issue becomes personal, when people understand it not in the abstract but as impacting real people, they’re able to empathize. DADT became humanized through the stories of folks like Dan Choi, and from hearing the voices of military personnel who wanted queer soldiers to be able to come out.

Belief in ...

By Courtney • 12 years ago

The personal is political: princess parties

As we wound round and round in circles, nice little breaks from the monotony of the chicken dance, my goddaughter, R., stared up at the “real live princess” with big, serious eyes. Every move the princess made–whether twisting a pink balloon into a phallic sword for her male cousin, or painting a butterfly on her tiny hand, R. studied.

Yesterday was my goddaughter’s sixth birthday. She loves princesses and her favorite color is pink. She alternated between a princess dress and a swimming suit with princesses on it. Even her stuffed animal kitty was dressed up like a princess, tiara and all. There was a princess pinata. You can imagine the ways in which these realities provoked some major gender analysis ...

By Lori Adelman • 12 years ago

Steven Tyler, Julia Holcomb, and abortion remorse as political fodder

Anti-choicers are practically drooling over the testimony of Julia Holcomb, Steven Tyler’s ex-girlfriend from her teenage years, who this week is speaking out about her choice to abort after becoming pregnant by Tyler many years ago — and her subsequent remorse and religious awakening.

Complete with a near-death experience, her story is as heartbreaking as it is frustrating, an altogether too-common tale of a teenager’s physical, financial, and emotional vulnerability.

Holcomb describes in painstaking detail the circumstances that led to her situation with Tyler. Her brother died in a car crash, her father was largely absent, she disliked her mother’s new husband, her stepfather, and her sister was also out of the picture.

Enter Tyler.