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February 3, 2005

Apparently, I was at a Different Conference

Here is an article on Women's eNews re the YWTF Conference. Apparently, I attended a different conference. Read this fabulous excerpt:

The task force attendees were asked to develop issue statements about nine topics of concern to women ages 19 to 39. Besides feminism, these included media representations of women and women's body image; sexual and reproductive freedom; and access to education and career opportunities. Attendees say the issues differ somewhat from the agenda of feminists in the 1970s. While older feminists were concerned about discrimination in the workplace and securing abortion rights, attendees tackled issues such as the number of women featured in the media, violence against women and eating disorders.

The attendees recognize that the issues that mattered to women in their 50s and 60s aren't the same as for them. While reproductive rights meant abortion rights in the 1960s, today it means birth control that's not covered by insurance companies even while Viagra is.

"For them, it was laws and bills," Stein said, referring to older feminists. "For us, it's implementation and everyday life."

Several conference attendees said they paid their own way to the conference because they wanted to think about topics affecting all women.

Does that make attendees who didn't pay their own way less committed to these frickin topics?!?! I thought it just meant we're POORER.

I'm not trying to be catty - I'm just really frustrated. I know people who reject the label "feminist" because their understanding of the issues is beyond the white, middle-class paradigm implied by that term. Why should I spend time baby-sitting people who aren't willing to stand up for equal rights, but are able to say "Yay! I'm a Young Woman!" ?!? I suppose I should just stop trying. After all, I can't even get access to the Issue Statements Email Group b/c it was placed on Microsoft's evil system.

Posted by cj at February 3, 2005 11:17 AM

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Comments

I just read that article, and it was exactly my response! I hung around those reporters for a few minutes afterward, wondering if they'd like to get a different perspective, but then I realized they were there to get glorifying quotes about jewelry and makeup and feminism. I am so sick of that arguement!

Posted by: Lacey at February 4, 2005 12:04 PM

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