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

5,000th Post!

Jill

This is the 5,000th post at Feministe. Way to go, ladies and gents.

I’ve been here for 2 1/2 years now, and feel really lucky to have inherited such a dynamic, challenging and supportive space. Lauren created a great community here, piny and zuzu built on it, and it’s been pretty incredible to watch it shift and change and grow. I started blogging because I was bored at a summer desk job I had in college; almost four years later, blogging has become a major part of my day-to-day life. I love writing here. I love reading through the comments and seeing the reactions, responses and thoughts of so many intelligent, interesting people. I love that I’ve learned more about feminism from blogging and reading feminist blogs than I did in four years of gender studies courses.

Feministe has become a full-time (but unpaid) job for me. It requires hours every day of posting, emailing and managing various odds and ends, not to mention the hours I spend thinking about the comments you all make, how I could have done this or that better, what I think about some issue that someone here brought up that I had never before considered. It can certainly be stressful, but there’s nothing I’d rather be doing. It brings me a lot of happiness, and it occupies a lot of my time. It’s been an interesting journey to the point where a large part of my identity is now “feminist blogger.”

5,000 is a pretty big milestone, so I’ll issue all of us who have blogged here a hearty congratulations. It’s been pretty rad. And I’ll issue a big thank-you to the commenters and readers for making this such a great space.

That’s what Feministe means to me. So I’m curious: What does this space mean to you, and how does it fit into your life?

25 thoughts on 5,000th Post!

  2. I always read “Feministe” as being pronounced fem – uh – neest, since it looks a lot like French “-iste” words (socialiste, communiste, etc.)

    What does Feministe mean to me and how does it fit in to my life? This may sound cliche (sorry about the missing accent), but it’s a very educational space for me. I’ve had the benefit of engaging with lots of other people I wouldn’t have known otherwise and learned a lot of things that would have been much harder to learn otherwise. It’s also a space in which I feel like what I have to say has value and is respected, even when I’m not responded to directly.

    As a result, except for a break from blogging about a year or so ago, I’ve been coming here nearly every day for at least three years. Wow.

  3. Well, it helps me keep an eye on the many happenings within the American feminist movement. It also gives me the chance to encounter people, people I wouldn’t necessarily have a chance to talk to in “real life” (whatever that means nowadays). Finally, it gives me something to react to – whether in agreement or disagreement.

    Whenever I’m on here, I feel as though my brain cells are engaged at a higher level than usual.

    And, just like in your case, Jill, Feministe has actually helped me in defining my own identity to myself. I actually can’t say whether or not I can call myself a feminist after reading Feministe for a year. I’ve had to put a qualifier on that – “cynical eurotrash feminist,” perhaps, comes the closest. For me, it may not necessarily be a bad thing either.

    The more you engage people here, the more you find out about yourself. That’s always positive.

    So I am very grateful.

    Congrats on the 5K.

  4. I too like to visit this site to keep up on American feminism. I like to read other people’s take on news stories and events…I guess though the “feminist filter.”

    It makes me feel saner because in my daily life as many people think I have extreme views (just by expressing feminist ideas). It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one thinking about and advocating for women, because I am often the lone voice among the people I know.

  5. What does this place mean to me? Hmm…Well, i started reading early in 2005, i think in January, so i remember the solo-Lauren days. This blog has greatly shaped how i see the world, maybe more than anything else over the last three years. Before i discovered this blog, i definitely considered myself a liberal, and as far as i was aware of women’s issues i was more or less a feminist. Unfortunately, i came from a pretty conservative Christian background, and left over from that background were rather restrictive views on sex and abortion. I was aware enough to realize that the double standard on sex was crap, but my preferred solution was for men to be shamed on the same standard as women, not for the end of puritanism for everyone. I was also one of those guys who–if i had known the terms at the time–would have set myself up as an “equity” feminist because, well, i was kind of a moron.

    I came to Feministe after one of the semi-annual “Where’s all the wimminz at?” blog fights. (Before then, i had been reading Kevin Drum regularly, but his posts on the subject so thoroughly disgusted me that i quit reading him and starting looking for women’s voices myself.) At first, Lauren’s aggressive feminism was slightly off-putting to me, but her writing was so incredibly good that i kept coming back to it, and her arguments began to sink in for me. I can’t really put my finger on what exactly changed or when exactly it happened, but i do know that it was here and it was at least in part because of what i was reading from Lauren. So, this place means an awful lot to me.

    As for how it fits in my life now: Jill, piny, and previously zuzu have done a fantastic job carrying on Lauren’s legacy here, and i make sure to check this place two or three times a day. This place has made me a much better person, i think, and i hope that will continue to do so for me and for many others.

  6. Feministe has had a major impact on my life. I grew up in an ultra conservative home, and it took me awhile after college to fully embrace my inner liberal feminist. Jill and Lauren really helped me to see that I was a feminist and why it was important to admit that and really own it. It’s helped me go from “I’m not a feminist, but…” to “Yeah, you’re damn right I’m a feminist, and this is why”. Feministe has challenged my perceptions, made me rethink my stance on many issues and provided me a safe space to read and analyze, far away from the oppressive Ultra right wing beliefs of my family. I come here everyday and read, even if I don’t get a chance to post, because it keeps me up to date on news that I may not otherwise hear about and to read the comments for angles I may not have otherwise thought about before. It’s also nice to have a place where I can talk, discuss and work through some of my beliefs, without being jumped on too much. In short, it really means a lot to me and I’m glad that this space exists.

  7. I always read “Feministe” as being pronounced fem – uh – neest, since it looks a lot like French “-iste” words (socialiste, communiste, etc.)

    Me too.

    This site — along with Feministing and Pandagon — has been indispensable to me as a feminist blogger. It’s a combination of the consistently good writing and, of course, the really solid commenting. There is no other blog on the web whose comment threads I have studied more closely.

    Congrats to all of you who have helped build and sustain Feministe.

  8. I think I’ve only posted here a handful of times, but I do visit every day, often throughout the day, and have been reading almost everything everyone else posts for at least a couple of years now. The quality of feminist writing here is laudable and unique — both on the front page and in the comment threads. I’ve learned things, kept on top of important activist issues, and some of the younger feminists, especially, give me much needed doses of hope for the future.

    Hearty congrats to everyone involved in making this blog what it has been for 5000 posts already. I look forward to the next 5000. Cheers!

  9. First came to feministe thanks to some sort of google search… was looking for a community of like-minded folks (or not always like-minded, but wanting to engage) who get angry about the things that make me angry, and who–I hope–also work to make things better. Found it.

    A place to think, to learn, to interact, to voice solidarity, to gain strength.

  10. Me before Feministe: “Patriarchy? What patriarchy?”

    Me after Feministe: “Patriarchy? Smash!”

    Also, I think I’m less of an asshole after reading this site. Or maybe more of one, depending on who I’m talking to 🙂

  11. To me, Feministe is never boring, always well-written and insightful, with a dry wit and a fresh perspective. I don’t recall when I first started reading (maybe a year or two ago), but I put it in my favorites and try to check it whenever I can (which is really not often enough). I am impressed with your passion, intelligence and commitment–please keep up the good work! With what you have written about as going on in your life (work, travel, law school)–I marvel that you have time to do this, too, and do it so well. I assume you manage to squeeze sleep and meals in there somewhere, too!

    Congratulations on the 5000!

  12. Congrats!

    i was introduced to Feministe by my boyfriend almost a year ago and I’ve read it every day (sometimes multiple times a day) since. I enjoy the level of analysis, intelligence, humour and wit which has sustained since I began reading. I read Feministe alongside my newsites every morning to give myself the flip side of the coin.

    Thanks and keep up the amazing work!

  14. I love Feministe. I check it daily, and though I’m not a commenter I consider myself a member of its community. The website challenges, informs, and entertains. I find that through my interactions with Feministe over the past year I have been changing, and I like those changes. Thank you to all of you who run it.

  15. At first, Feministe was what I read in my school library when I was putting off writing essays. It’s somewhere I’ve learn a heck of a lot. Sometimes posts here resonate for me because they say what I was thinking but hadn’t put into words, sometimes they give me a perspective on something I hadn’t really thought about before.

    Feministe is probably one of the reasons why I am confident defending my feminism, and why I’ve started blogging more about feminist issues.

    Well done, and here’s to another 5,000 posts!

  16. I happened upon Feministe about a year ago, and don’t consider my day(s) complete unless I’ve visisted at least once.
    I am awe of the quality of writing on this site… and the level of insight. I can’t tell you how many times my reaction to a thread as been “Yes! Yes yes yes!”
    Feministe has opened my eyes to so many different aspects of feminism. And like someone else already said, it’s helped me to define my own identity. I consider this blog (in addition to Feministing) my Internet home. I feel accepted, challenged, enlightened and validated here. It’s so wonderful to be among so many bright, thoughtful feminists like yourselves and your commenters.

  17. Congratulations!

    I’ve been reading Feministe for at least 2, and maybe 3 or more years; it’s definitely on my daily (sometimes multiple times daily) reading list. This is one of my favorite sources for good, clear writing about feminist and trans* issues, the latter of which I knew almost nothing about before piny started writing here. I’m not that great at formulating clear arguments about these things, but I can often remember where to find them when I need them.

    The guest bloggers have also been wonderful – I don’t often seek out new blogs and issues other than feminism myself (lazy, creature of habit, no great excuses) – because they’ve opened my eyes to many other important issues.

  18. don’t consider my day(s) complete unless I’ve visisted at least once.

    Amen. This is my favorite blog. The writing, the personalities, the arguments, the moments of solidarity, the feminist mindset, it’s all addictive. The conversations here have educated me and made me question where I stand on just about every issue raised. Feministe has helped me to challenge myself and grow as an individual.

    I love Jill, I miss Lauren, I miss Zuzu, and I owe a *huge* debt to Piny for broadening my mind. Thank you!

    (Okay, so I read Lauren and Zuzu at their own blogs, but I still miss having them here.)

  19. I don’t comment here often, but I read Feministe daily, and I’ve recc’ed it out to students who’ve come to me asking for feminist blogs. It’s intelligently written, and there’s usually a lot of good debate. I learn things here. Always a bonus. Also, love the guest bloggers.

  20. I’ve been reading and occassionally commenting here for 3-4 years. I found it from One Good Thing, which I read about in the newspaper (printed on real paper!)

    This site, along with a few others have really helped me become a more thoughtful, balanced human being. When I started reading feminists blogs I was just starting to see some progress in shedding the resentful, Nice Guy, attitudes I developed since adolescence. The community here really made a difference in accelerating that change in me. I’ve become much more understand and tolerant of the struggles of others. I only wish the interents had been invented 10-15 years earlier and maybe I could have avoided years of lonliness. “You kids don’t know how easy you have it” {said in my best old-fogey voice}.

    Congratulations on reaching this milestone. May you post another 5,000.

  22. (1) Pronunciation: I think of it as “fe-mi-nis-tay”.

    (2) I come here pretty much every day to learn things I didn’t know before.

  23. To me, this space is an inspiration! I want my tiny little feminist blog to grow and grow into the sort of community you have here.

    Congratulations on 5000 posts!

  25. Off topic, Antonio Banderas does the voice of the cgi Nasonex bee.

    Feministe is a safe space for me. I don’t comment much, but it’s a place where I can recharge or relax. It’s an antidote to the headache I get from banging my head against a brick wall at work (a non-profit where board members should know better than to call anyone “those people”).

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