Feminist Pride Day 2012

Feminist Bloggers Convene at Harvard | The Harvard Crimson

Last night’s “Activism & the Feminist Blogosphere” panel (in honor of Feminist Coming Out Day) led to great discussions about the rewards and pitfalls of feminist blogging. Some takeaways:

• Blogging is much more democratic than mainstream media, since it allows marginalized groups and those without the power of capital (like the teenage contributors to The FBomb) to establish a platform for their ideas.
• However, the feminist blogosphere can replicate the same power structures that exist in the “real world” and in mainstream feminist activism, giving a privileged few a louder voice while silencing less powerful/mainstream-friendly groups.
• As Lori Adelman from the International Women’s Health Coalition notes, the feminist blogosphere is also very US-centric, though blogs like the IWHC’s Akimbo seek to leverage the Internet’s global reach to bring attention to how gender inequality affects the lives of women beyond American borders
• Social media is not a replacement for traditional activism, but it has great potential for mobilizing people who might not otherwise hear of or become involved in progressive causes. (For examples, see Sistersong’s protest of an anti-choice billboard suggesting that abortion constitutes African American genocide and Tiger Beatdown’s #mooreandme Twitter campaign against Michael Moore.)
• As Feministing’s Chloe says from personal experience, few writers can rely on blogging as a full-time career. (Jezebel’s Anna North was the only panelist present to do so.) Many bloggers supplement their income by freelancing, taking speaking gigs, or working day jobs at women’s non-profits.
• Feminist media generally has a harder time being profitable because the publications reject most women-targeted advertising, which tends to come from the beauty/fashion industries
• Nearly all the blogs represented by the panelists have had men or transmen as guest contributors, though not typically as part of the staff. (Two exceptions include Racialicious and Tiger Beatdown.)
• The feminist blogosphere is very geographically concentrated, meaning those who live in cities like New York with major media industries are better connected.

Check out this piece from The Harvard Crimson covering our event, and stay tuned for event photos from Harvard University and the rest of our campus partners.

Photo via Vivien Wu