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Jessica Leigh Lebos

When Jessica Leigh graduated with a degree in creative writing, she figured she'd be slinging lattes for the rest of her life, so she shaved her head, moved into a VW bus and set off for Alaska. Good thing the van broke down just north of San Francisco, because she just hates cold weather. Her baris...

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Welcome Home, Vagina Warriors!!

I have been following the countdown to V-Day Superlove in NOLA via skirt!’s own
Sabrina and Margaret and it appears that they’ve made it back from their quest safe and sound. Y’all must check out their footage of the pinkalicious parade into the Superdome! I can’t wait for them to decompress and tell us all about what looked like a powerful gathering of amazing women (and plenty of men!)

Here in Savannah, however, it appears that feminism has problems: All last week I conducted my own little amateur sidewalk social science experiment and asked women of all ages if they consider themselves feminists.

And I do mean all ages: I have the honor of attending the Senior Lunch at the JEA every Thursday with my mother-in-law, and I’m sorry to report that the octogenarian set had a very unfavorable response to the word “feminism” – until I explained that “feminism is the radical idea that women are people.” (Thanks to Women’s Studies professor Cheris Kramarae for coining that quote!) After asking them whether they thought women deserved equal pay, the right to education and autonomy over their own bodies, one of them said, “Okay, fine! I’m a feminist! But I’m not burning my bra!”

Now, I can understand that some women who were born in an era when their mothers didn’t have the right to vote (mind-blowing, eh?) may have gotten freaked out by the intense social action of Second Wave feminism and need some gentle explanations that burning one’s bra is less effective these days than, say, calling one’s congressperson, but what’s the excuse of women their 20’s?

There also happened to be a student at last week’s lunch who told me the only people she knows who call themselves feminists have hairy armpits and wear men’s clothes. I cleared my throat loudly, crossed my freshly-waxed legs, refreshed my lipstick and read her the riot act. But another young woman I met this weekend said that while she supports women’s rights, the word “feminism” connotes “activism,” and she just doesn’t see the need for it anymore.

No. Need. Maybe not in your neighborhood, honey – but what about them? And her? Oh, and these girls?

*Sigh* There’s just still so much work to be done.