Little Red Ridding Hood

Little Red has been recycled in many cultures since the late 1600's. I know, fairy tales are old AND still relevant. It is this ability to recognize and reuse those recognizable motifs that make fairy tales so compelling as story telling agents. Little Red is no exception. Just a couple of years ago the Red Ridding Hood movie came out that depicted Little Red in a much more feminist and non traditional woman. There has also been significant scholarship on the progressive feminist actions of Little Red throughout history (Zipes). Today this came across my facebook feed and gives a wonderful (albeit brief) historical account of Red and provides a new iteration.

NPR Little Red

A feminist, steampunk, girls studies mashup!

There are a lot of things I really like in life, and a few of those make it into how I define myself. I am a feminist. I am also a lover of steampunk. And, young adult literature and media is another fav of mine. This project combines all of these things into a wonderful steampunk historical fictionesq book targeting girls and promoting feminist ideas and accomplishments. It is being written and promoted by a man, who is also a father of a young girl. He wants to promote a strong feminist perspective for his daughter while also tying in and highlighting women in history who were scientists, mathematicians, authors, that are often overlooked in traditional history. I like it.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/airshipambassador/wollstonecraft

If I Knew Then What I Know Now...

As I prepare to lead class discussion on the subject of Girls' Studies and how this genre can be seen through a feminist lens I try and reflect on who I was as a "girl" and "young woman" and now "whatever I am" and that's where I have a problem. I don't identify with what my mental image of a "woman" is. I am not my mother. I am not a "business woman" (this is an image of woman that I somehow equate to womanhood). I am (and it's funny to say) a Womyn. For some reason altering the spelling opens a space for me. I define myself as a girl; a girl person; a person who is a girl. Not an adolescent, not as a kid, or a child; something different.

Any way, I ran across this today on Facebook and felt that even though I don't identify as a "woman" I can identify with the fact that I know these things now, and I wish I had had a "Womyn" figure put this so plainly for me:

http://kateelizabethconner.com/ten-things-i-want-to-tell-teenage-girls/

Who I Am - Who Am I

Kincheloe might say I am a Bricoler
Strauss, a jack of all trades
Anzaldua might call me a border crosser or a Nepantlera
My comittee says unfocused

I am eclectic
I draw from what I find that works
I am magnetic

Some say my way is appropriation
Is disrespectful to the traditional ways
I borrow with hesitation

I don't see a path
I must make my own
I don't deserve your wrath

What I do is out of respect
I want to expand and find what works
To understand and include
Ideas that are dynamic

Musings of the past little while

Okay, I haven't posted in a while, but that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about it.

In class we've been reading about Multicultural Feminism, Postcolonial Feminism, and Indigenous Feminism, along with discussing and watching films to support and augment these ideas. I feel that these groupings/categories of feminisms can generally fall under another category, that of Third Wave Feminism(s) [I add the s/plural here to acknowledge the MANY types that can fall under this one umbrella], which is the crux of my problem. With all of these categories and subgroups and genres of Feminism it's no wonder people are confused about what Feminism is! They overlap, are related, can be traced back to, and connect with how women (mainly) view themselves. I've been wondering that if we are  working in a Third Wave framework, which is one of inclusion and respect for all, then wouldn't the genres of feminism be better related to our positionalities as individuals, rather than the individual trying to position oneself within the pre-designated genre? I'm not sure making the distinction is necessary, but at this moment I feel more inclined to talk about how my background and experiences help form my connections with different feminisms rather than saying "I'm this."

I ran across this about a year ago, it keeps surfacing in my thoughts:

Woman

I'm not sure what I need to do with it yet, it's still percolating...

A Powerful Story

Social media is a technological wonder that provides a link to stories and women like this:
http://www.ted.com/talks/tan_le_my_immigration_story.html

Tan Le speaks of her family's journey and her growing into the woman she is today, which she acknowledges, is still changing. I'm not an immigrant, I didn't hide fearful in a boat escaping toward a better life. However, I am now aware of the placating feeling of privilege. I fear the stagnation of being complacent and comfortable. Yet, I also fear not being able to be the change I want to see within myself. I have not found my place of action yet.

Memes

I don't often think about Feminism and Memes together. However, recently Facebook has been populated with a "What People Think I Do..." meme. The premise is the perspective of different groups of people about what the author does. There have been posts about professors, teachers, lawyers, stay-at-home moms, students etc. It wasn't more than a day when the feminist version showed up in my feed.

This picture shows four perspectives of feminism/feminists. The first is the conservative political rhetoric that is both overt and covertly negative when directed at feminism and women/gender issues in general. The second photo represents the angry/warrior image that society generalizes with the women's movement and feminist agendas. I feel that this image is often perceived from the 60's, 70's, and 80's feminist movement located in what theorists call the second wave. This time in history showcased women who were exclusive, angry, and passionate about their plight. Being exclusive and angry hurt the women's movement by increasing marginalization of women other than the white middle/upper class activists. I can identify with the third image where the Rosie the Riveter and the "I Can Do It" attitude. When I look at this section I wish it were the final slide and not only "What I Think I Can Do". It is the action that I crave and not the final image of Wonder Woman shaking her head in disgust? disagreement? dissolution? This is not the final image I identify with as a feminist. Maybe I would like the image of myself to be that of a strong Wonder Woman rescuing and protecting others.