Yo Mama

Fox News: Fear, Backlash, and Working Mothers

Elizabeth Hall Magill — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:23:55 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, a friend stopped me at a party and asked for my commentary on what Lou Dobbs said about the latest Pew study on working women: women are now the breadwinners in forty percent of American homes with children. I knew Dobbs had said something sexist, and that Fox commentator Megyn Kelly had taken him to task for it, but I hadn’t followed the issue closely because my feminist attention has been deeply absorbed by a book I’m reading. As it turns out, that book—Sacred Pleasure, by Riane Eisler—is integral to my understanding of what Dobbs said, and how Kelly replied.

An Interview with Author and Activist Trista Hendren

Elizabeth Hall Magill — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:22:35 +0000

I first encountered Trista Hendren’s name in an article by Elizabeth Plank that described Trista’s work with Rapebook, a page that cataloged and attempted to stop the proliferation of materials promoting rape and violence against women on Facebook. I wrote a blog post about Facebook and misogyny, and Trista and I found one another on Twitter. Imagine my joy when I learned that Trista is also the author of The Girl God, a children’s book about the divine feminine. I immediately ordered the book, and when it arrived, I knew I’d made not just a new virtual connection, but a friend. The more I learn about Trista’s life and work, the more she inspires me. She’s in Oregon and I’m in Virginia, so our paths aren’t likely to cross soon, but I feel sure we will meet in person one day. And when we do, we’ll begin talking as if we’d picked up a long-lost conversation. That, my friends, is the Goddess at work. And so is this—you might want to grab a cup of coffee or tea, because Trista’s answers to my questions will give you plenty to ponder, and plenty to savor.

Zero Tolerance for Rape Culture on Facebook

Elizabeth Hall Magill — Wed, 29 May 2013 20:22:30 +0000

I am posting today as part of a global initiative in protest of Facebook's approach to the violent, misogynistic, and often illegal content that it has allowed to exist on its pages for too long. You might have read the open letter that a group of activists recently sent to Facebook asking them to address rape culture on the social networking site; you might also have read that Facebook has acknowledged that they've tolerated hate speech toward girls and women, and will take some steps to address it. Despite Facebook's acknowledgement, this global protest is taking place as planned. Here are the words of Trista Hendren, one of the movement's leaders, explaining why we are moving forward:

The Girl God: A Book Review

Elizabeth Hall Magill — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:43:10 +0000

So I just read The Girl God, and am delighted to share it with you. It is a children’s book, and like all the best stories for children, it holds deep wisdom for us all. As you might guess from the title, it is on a topic that is dear to me: the divine feminine. The author, Trista Hendren, wrote the book for her children, and it is dedicated to her daughter, Helani Claire, who is the book’s main character—a little girl who needs to discover the divinity within herself while learning the traditions of both Christianity and Islam. Hendren supports her story with quotations about the Goddess from around the globe, and each page is illustrated with Elisabeth Slettnes’ gorgeous depictions of the divine feminine in both nature and humanity. The three elements of this book—story, quotations, and illustrations—interweave to create a work of art that I will enjoy reading and rereading, to myself and to my children.

The Rhetoric of Choice

Elizabeth Hall Magill — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:23:23 +0000

As a feminist writer, I understand the significance of the word choice for women. I believe pro-choice and anti-choice are the right words to describe the positions supporting and opposing abortion because abortion is the controversial epicenter of a debate about the relationship between a woman and her womb. However, because abortion became the flashpoint of American conversation about patriarchy and female empowerment, choice has become a loaded word: one which can block empowerment as well as facilitate it. As Susan Faludi asserts in her introduction to the 15th anniversary edition of Backlash, when pondering the question of a current backlash in the media: “…there are still the periodic reprimands, though generally they are presented as the products of a woman’s ‘choice.’ The backlash is now said to be a strictly self-inflicted affair.”

Lean In: A Book Review

Elizabeth Hall Magill — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:36:39 +0000

So I just read Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg. I’d heard so much about this book—both good and bad—that my curiosity was seriously piqued. I’d shared articles from women who said “leaning in” wouldn’t work for them, at least not in the same way it worked for Ms. Sandberg. I’d watched friends and strangers alike create “Lean In Circles,” in which they share stories and support one another in their careers. I’d heard this book has the real power to create change—or at least to get people talking. So I wanted to know: was this book really going to light a fire for change, and help push us all toward greater equality in the workplace?

Making Feminism Mainstream

Elizabeth Hall Magill — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:25:57 +0000

A few weeks ago, I talked to a group of students and faculty at Longwood University, where I teach, about public misperceptions of feminism and how we can use social media to change them. The day before my talk, Beyonce (who seems decidedly feminist to me) reluctantly admitted to being a feminist: “The word can be very extreme…but I guess I am a modern-day feminist. I do believe in equality.” Many people who wrote about this statement—and the statements from famous women who disavow feminism—say they don’t care if people identify as feminist or not, as long as they work toward equality. I agree with that sentiment if the person in question identifies as a Womanist or Mujerista or feminist ally, but those terms aren’t even in the mainstream conversation. In the popular media, quoting women who disavow feminism serves to keep the conversation about equality on the sidelines.

For Karen Diehl Evans: An Elegy

Elizabeth Hall Magill — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:12:35 +0000

It is not an easy thing, being a writer in this world. You must learn to hold just the right amount of darkness and just the right amount of light in the palms of your cupped hands, releasing each in equal measure, so as not to fall off balance. Not to get caught off guard. While doing this—because you must, because it is how you were made—you must also survive in the ferocious, ordinary world, which is largely indifferent to artistry. It helps—immensely, in ways both conscious and unconscious—to have a guide along the way. Someone who recognizes you for you, and tells you so. Karen Diehl Evans was such a guide for me: she encouraged me as a writer my entire life, from the time I was in high school right up through the creation of this blog. Karen, who was a beautiful writer, died on Saturday night, after a long period of losing her light to her darkness.

Backlash: A Book Review

Elizabeth Hall Magill — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:04:05 +0000

So I just read Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, by Susan Faludi. I had this book on my list because I considered it required reading for anyone who wants to understand the current landscape of women’s rights; when the book was published in 1991, it was hailed as a feminist mythbuster, a possible catalyst for change. And indeed it should have been—this book demonstrates the ways in which culture (news and entertainment media, fashion, politics, and popular psychology) has pushed back against the changes in women’s lives brought about by the historic events of the 1960s and 70s. Faludi exposes the false messages women have received, the ways in which our culture—both consciously and unconsciously—has sold us the idea that equality causes misery, that in gaining power we’ve lost femininity. After reading this book, I do indeed consider it essential: it gave me the history that happened after history, the backdrop for our current lives. And it gave me a deep understanding of the forces at work, socially and psychologically, when power dynamics change.

If We’re Leaning In, Is Zuckerberg Reaching Out?

Elizabeth Hall Magill — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:40:41 +0000

So I haven’t read Lean In. I’m planning to, however, because it’s getting people talking, which is the first step toward change, and I love that. Kudos to Sheryl Sandberg for writing a book about the difficulties working women, particularly working mothers, face. And kudos to the Lean In conversation for expanding to include the voices of people who are pointing out Sandberg’s privilege, and the difficulties of leaning in when one is facing barriers of race, class, and age. Although I haven’t read the book, I’ve read enough conversation about it to gather that the main point is this: women need to believe in ourselves, to advocate for ourselves, to go bravely into the fray even if we don’t think we’re quite perfect for the job or we’re worried that people might not like us. This is good advice, as women do indeed need to own our power. And yet, as I think about what leaning in might mean for my own life and as I listen to the women who are discussing leaning in, this occurs: leaning in seems to require women to play the male working game harder, faster, and in just the right way. Leaning in, I’ve gathered, is a form of manning up (albeit with the caveat of a good bathroom cry). OK—so be it. But if we’re manning up, is Zuckerberg gonna woman up?