In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Wow. Again.

zuzu

I just wanted to say that this week has been an eye-opener for me. I still feel like I’m new at this blogging thing, and it still astonishes me that we get so many people willing to share so many personal stories that are so illuminating, even as we’ve been blogging about some vile anti-feminist assholes. From the deliberations transpeople have to go through whenever striking up a new relationship, to the self-esteem issues people work through, to the realization that so many of our commenters have been abused, or assaulted, or have had to live on government assistance and are still here, still moving forward, still undefeated…

Wow. Thank you for sharing all this. It’s what makes Feministe a great place. I’m humbled.

16 thoughts on Wow. Again.

  1. Well, a lot of credit goes to you guys for making a space where people feel comfortable sharing these stories. There is a sense of community around here that can be hard to find in other web-spaces.

  2. I’ve been really grateful for this space myself. I’d just like to start writing more about these issues–there are a lot of seedling posts about body image, etc. as related to sexuality and shame.

  3. Yes, I’m working on a posting about male body issues, since we’ve gotten so much in comments about that. I guess I had never really thought about men having body issues because in het relationships, the Male Gaze is such a big component.

    Actually, it would be interesting to know about the effect of transition on one’s self-image, in terms of what society at large thinks of your body.

  4. Also, oddly, I’m finding out a lot about my sister that I never knew before, even stuff that happened while we were living in the same house. I never knew she slept in her shoes before, but she did have a bedroom right across from our parents’, and I did lock my door at night and barricade it.

    Someday, I will post more about this.

  6. What Bryan said–you and piny definitely deserve much of the credit for that. Some days I don’t know how you each do it without banging your heads against the desk repeatedly, but you do it. Credit to Jill and Lauren too, of course, but the past couple of weeks has been mainly you and piny, and you’ve both rocked it.

  7. One of the things I love about Feminism (in the “what I get out of Feminism in a totally selfish way” sense) is all the stories of strength and resistance and refusal to buckle despite overwhelming social and cultural pressure. There’s such a powerful ability for people to tell the world to fuck off in profound ways in the worst of conditions that I find really inspiring. Again, in an emotional parasite kind of way. 😉

    zuzu, I very much encourage you to blog about male body issues. I’ll have a weighty (no pun intended) comment on it.

  8. Thirding what Bryan and Ilyka said – the environment here is one of acceptance and safety, so it encourages people to be open with each other, knowing they’re not going to be judged.

    I’m a long time-lurker, but only started posting recently [in the topic below]. Part of the reason I started posting was because body image/societal perception of women’s bodies is such an interesting subject to me, yet I’ve never found a forum where I felt comfortable discussing these things with people I didn’t already know intimately. But I knew here that I wasn’t going to have to deal with people trying to force their personal preferences on me, even if we disagreed on issues. [I used to be a regular poster on numerous LJ women’s health communities, and one thing that always irritated me was the way the communities were so quick to shut down those who disagreed with “the norm”, yet content to allow the majority to make snide comments about others who didn’t follow their personal moral code. There was no such thing as “discussion”, it was always one side telling the other they were wrong for doing what they did and they needed to stop, and the other retaliating by throwing back similar accusations.]

    Thanks very much for creating and maintaining an environment that fosters such a sense of community and openness. It’s very refreshing and much-needed in a society that delights in telling us how very wrong, bad and immoral we all are. [And I’d also be interested in reading a piece on male body issues. While society is very up-front in telling women we need to slim down, bust-up and curve in all the “right” places, it seems like the issues facing men’s bodily perceptions are hidden a little more cleverly. Or perhaps that’s just because a lot of people don’t realize men are being fed these images in different ways/media.]

  10. You know a venue like this lets you re-explore a lot of the things you’ve tucked away in your memory. You know, the stuff that’s probably not good office lunch room conversation material. The stuff that you need a lot of trust, or anonymity, or a combination of both, to be able to share. And you know that telling your story will be of help to someone else, whereas if you told your co-worker or neighbor, it might be used against you, in a judgmental way.

    And there are some universal equalizers out there. You can be right wing or left wing but if you suffered through abuse you have a common ground. I don’t talk about my experiences say with WIC at the family reunion because no one else there has any direct knowledge of it, and I know I’d be looked down on for needing it. But I can post here and know someone out there has been there, or that those who haven’t are open to hearing about it for the right reasons. Makes all the difference.

  11. For once, I agree with you. Feministe does have a good atmosphere, perhaps the moderation is a bit heavy-handed if you asked me (you didn’t), but as the result seems to be a good balance of differing viewpoints and, like many people already pointed out, a general atmosphere of comfort.

    I know I occasionally give you all hard time, but thanks for this place anyway. PS. I don’t much like the Religious Right either (the feeling is mutual, some among them apparently are convinced that I am a lesbian extremist who takes shots at straight guys while indulging her (!) sick fantasies. Lol. Ask me :P).

  13. I’ve been really grateful to spend quality blog-reading time on Feministe. It’s filled the void left by of my women’s consciousness-raising group (for lack of a better name), which is sadly gone due to so many members graduating and moving on.

    With Feministe and a few other prominent sites of the feminist blogsphere, I can continue to develop and hone my understanding, develop my ideas and contribute to the discourse. Feministe in particular provides a good home for all of that — I’m so glad you’re here!

  15. Yes, this is a wonderful blog, with many thoughtful comments. It’s safe to debate different points of view here.

    And a few stupid ones, from the occasional troll, and one from yours truly – about that tv show that featured a trans woman gone missing…my face is still red…

  16. I’m new here too… You are doing an amazing job everyone. Feminist groups here in Greece are few.

    The Lesbian Organisation of Athens and a queer activist group called QV, *do* try to promote feminism and to create this sense of solidarity and personal connection amongst women, but we fall short. Inhibition, variance in life experiences, political variance, have all been proposed to explain our frustrating shortcomings. But this blog proves all these wrong. Heartfelt congratulations.

    And go piny! You’re the third transman I’ve encountered (the other two are close friends of mine irl) and you’re feminist too. Yay!

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