radical feminst

febfem living a gynocentric life.interested in offline radical feminist activism and living/embodying radfem values rather than simply talking about them on the internet.

[feministe-radicale]

long time no see

Well, it's been years. I graduated and have been working and I absolutely hate my job. To the point where I hope to exit my profession by the end of 2025, or at least be well on my way to leaving.

I got out of two-year relationship two weeks ago and I'm deep in self-reflection mode. I find myself wanting to reconnect with other women and really sink into female-only spaces.

On a more frivolous note, I'm working on making my space a true sanctuary. It's shaping up to be very witch, very dark cottagecore.

If anyone has any febfem/wlw/radfem discords, lemme know. It's really hard to connect with real wlw in my local area because it's so queer-focused.

[feministe-radicale]

halp

College has taken over my life.

[feministe-radicale]

when violence is the answer by tim larkin

Let’s talk about this book, because I think every woman needs to read it.

One of the concepts that comes up over and over again in When Violence is the Answer is the psychological mindset needed to survive a life-threatening violent encounter; namely that you need to think of yourself as not only capable of killing someone in self-defense, but willing to kill. Women are never socialized to think this way! This isn’t about cultivating an ice-cold psychopathic killer mindset, it’s about valuing your life enough to protect it at all costs.

Larkin takes some time to explain the differences between social (think bar fights) and asocial violence, with the latter often perpetrated by people who can’t be reasoned with. The author gives lots of examples about the differences and how people either survived or succumbed to violence in both situations. He also points out that social violence can turn asocial and why de-escalation is so important in social violence situations.

There’s some encouraging information here about how size disparities can be overcome and how effective drilling self defense moves at slow speeds is.

This is a good companion read to Rory Miller’s Meditations on Violence or Facing Violence though they differ on several approaches to self-defense training. For example, Miller thinks training at high speed with lethal force is ideal (not that many end up training to this level), but Larkin is a proponent of slow training drills. Both of them emphasize avoiding potential violence.

Larkin has an older book written especially for women called Survive the Unthinkable but I haven’t read it yet.

[themyscira-server]

Announcing the Rad Lesbian Separatist Discord!

if you’re a lesbian who’s a radical feminist (or at least leans that way) who’s looking for a lesbian-only space, this just might be the place for you!

Themyscira, named after the infamous women-only island, is a discord server created after the latest separatism-is-evil discourse in radfemblr a little while back, when the homophobia really jumped out. I made it for those of us who wanted a space where we could discuss both political and not topics without having to deal with homophobia, or general hetero bullshittery.

this blog is new and specifically made to advertise, as my personal blogs are all “stealth” and would be impossible to advertise on, but I’ve been a part of radfemblr for a good 10 years now. users such as:

@appropriately-inappropriate

@hidetothink

@lilith-apologist

@joanofrad

@nervousfeminist

can all vouch for me if needed.

we have all kinds of channels all nicely organized for your convenience!

we have:

recommendation channels: for all your fave movies/books/anime/TV shows/ext

nerdy channels: D&D, gayming, sci-fi, even a bot for catching Pokémon!

labor of love channels: crafting, art, writing, language learning, even cooking!

after dark channels: adult(18+ only), spooky, and plenty of spilled Tea~

(note: you do not have to be 18+ to join, all 18+ channels are locked for those under 18)

we do have some ground rules.

first, when you join you’ll automatically be placed in arrival, where you will wait for ether myself or one of my mods to approve you. simply let us know who you are and who gave you the invite link so we can ether approve you there or confirm you’ve already been approved.

once you’ve been given the member role you’ll be able to see the rest of the server and officially join us!

the rules themselves are pretty straightforward.

*rad-leaning actual homosexual women only. you don’t have to actually consider yourself a radical feminist. many of us don’t after dealing with a large amount of homophobia from radical feminists, with things like “political lesbianism” being seen/treated as a core belief, separatism treated as an evil ploy by vindictive lesbians out to make hetero women miserable, ext. I stopped identifying as a radical feminist a while ago, but this channel is for actual homosexual women who recognize biological sex, oppression based on sex, ext, and you don’t have to actively consider yourself a radfem to know these things.

*no abuse. all debates, should you have them, need to be kept civil and friendly. we are free to agree to disagree, but if you feel a belief or opinion of another member is beyond that, inform a mod or myself. personal insults, harassment, and Mean Girls-esque cliques are prohibited. we’re all friends here.

*no slurs. it’s one thing to refer to yourself with a slur you’ve reclaimed, but do not do so for someone else without their permission. this also includes the use of words such as tr*nny and f*ggot. these words have a history of bloodshed and oppression and regardless of modern politics should be avoided. modern words such as “troon” have no such history and pretty well only refer to modern bullshittery and therefor, for now, are acceptable. if you feel a word may be questionable, ask ahead of time.

rule of thumb: if you replace the comment with the slur with another minority group, if it sounds like something someone on fox news or the 700 club would say (ex: “the tr*nnies are targeting our children!” -> “the f*ggots/q*eers are targeting our children!”) you need to rephrase it. your point may be valid and entirely factual, but if your wording is hateful it will get you nowhere. if it is truly valid and factual and without hate, it can be reworded to reflect that. if it can’t, it may not be as factual and accurate as you think it is.

*no bigotry. things like racism, ableism, ext are not acceptable. and yes, that does include actual transphobia. many may think that’s obvious, but as we tend to see in radfemblr, it isn’t always so obvious, so I gotta say it anyway. treat your sisters the way you’d like to be treated; do no harm but taking no shit. and if you see some shit, flag down a mod or myself. flame wars help no one. don’t waste your time once you realize what you’re dealing with.

*for these reasons, users such as toppdyke and those who associate with her or act in a similar manor will not be accepted. ya’ll are absolute drama lamas at best and I’m not having that shit in my server. sorry not sorry.

if you’d like to join us just like/reblog this post (if only advertising/signal boosting please say so in your tags) or send me a message, along with any questions you might have!

I hope to see you there!

[feministe-radicale]

I am so interested! Please send an invite when the queue opens up.

[feministe-radicale]

Broke up with my (now ex) girlfriend. We were compatible in an incredible amount of ways, but ultimately, the relationship never deepened romantically, and I didn’t think it could be fixed. We had a mature and even-tempered conversation before breaking up which was refreshing. I don’t even feel the need to mourn because we were more like friends than girlfriends.

I really want to find a woman to build a life with. *wistful sigh*

[feministe-radicale]

As anyone on Goodreads? Or know of any good radfem Discords? Looking to connect with radfems online through other means of communication.

[feministe-radicale]

radfem linkshell

Are there any radical feminists that play Final Fantasy XIV? Looking to create a cross-world linkshell for both the Aether and soon-to-be Crystal data centers. Send me a message or reply if interested.

[exgynocraticgrrl-archive-blog]

[feministe-radicale]

I hate that there is even one lesbian or female-exclusive bisexual woman that has been shamed/coerced/pressured into having sex and/or entering into a romantic relationship with a trans woman. I hate that feminists, even some radical feminists, have been pressured to silence their own acts of resistance, open female-exclusive groups and activities to trans women and male "genderqueer" individuals, and tailor sex-specific activism (especially anything relating to reproduction) to incorporate trans ideology. I hate that we have caved to their demands countless times, and why? To avoid being seen as what? Mean? Selfish? Discriminatory? Men have no problems with any of these things.  Men would and do laugh in the faces of anyone not male who dare demand that men change to accommodate and include them. They laugh, they ignore you, and then they get on with their lives. Men discriminate and their consience remains unbothered.

Women are socialized to care too much about offending people. We tend to have so little faith in our convictions that the faintest cries of criticism send us into spirals of self doubt. And I say no fucking more; let us grow spines of fucking steel. Arguing with trans activists on tumblr (or anywhere, really) is a waste of time. Time and energy is precious and we need it all to fight for our sisters and our daughters. By all means, fight back against harmful trans ideology by posting content, but stop squabbling with trans trolls when they come to pick fights. We have more important work to do.

We need to be willing to be seen publicly as we what we are, radical feminist activists. We need to prepare ourselves for the repercussions. We need to be ready to defend against violence. We need to network locally and do the work. Activism means sacrifice. It's a hard life and it comes with alot of disadvantages. If you're not up to the task then support those who are, especially financially if at all possible.

Think of how fast and influential trans activism has become in such a short time. They are not afraid of being loud (male socialization is a helluva thing!), of being confrontational, of spreading their ideology to anyone and everyone who has ears with which to hear.

Write and publish the next generation of zines, magazines, and books. Create fliers and street art and put them up everywhere. If people tear them down or deface them (and they will), put them back up, over and over again if necessary. Let the secretly rad leaning women know you are out there where you live. Let them know you are active and aggressive about female liberation. Let them know there are alternatives.

[cozyqueen]

in my experience men can’t retain significant growth mentally or emotionally in relationships with women bc they think all forms of compromise stem from u trying to control them. thts rlly childish to me. their egos make them too selfish for love which always includes sacrifice but they will play dumb long and passionately enough to wear u out so ur too tired or hurt to keep begging them to meet u halfway. then they somehow victimize themselves n turn it into u “tried to change/control them”…grow up. if I have to grow and sacrifice to make it work so do u, nobody expects u to be perfect but a lotta y'all not even puttin forth any effort like at all. n regardless of all tht, subconsciously men know ur the one expected to compromise not him so u either leave or end up compromising too much until u can’t anymore n this way they never have to actually change, improve, or be held accountable for anything n u end up doing all the work anyway.

[feministe-radicale]

Men will try all types of bullshit to get what they want. For example, men will try to flatter women to get out of doing chores or tasks they don't want to do, especially domestic ones. They'll play dumb and say things like "I don't know how to do x (clean, pack, cook, parent) and you do it so much better anyway" as if that absolves them from figuring it out and properly doing it. And if they do end up doing x, they'll do a shit job on purpose because they truly don't give a fuck. They expect a woman will clean up after them and fix their mistakes, maybe even throw their hands up and take over permanently. Part of the problem is that women have capitulated and cleaned up after men for ages. We are socialized to enable their bullshit. No more. Give men the consequences they deserve. Refuse to clean up after them. Don't let them get away with being helpless manchildren if you can help it.

[feministe-radicale]

90s fashion was so much kinder to teenage girls and women. When I look back at old Delia*s catalogs, the clothes are sporty (lots of skater stuff) and most everything looks comfortable. Many of the models are wearing sneakers and heeled shoes have very chunky soles and a low heel. Pants and shirts are loose-fitting for the most part. Makeup and hair styling are minimal.

I can’t imagine what it must be like to be a teenage girl and forced to contend with social media fashion and beauty standards. I’m so sorry you have to grow up with this shit.

[thegynocrat-deactivated20170306]

I think that female-feminist inaction has not only to do with lack of resources but with female socialization which instills patterned female passivity, being more easily intimidated, and general low-risk behavior.

[feministe-radicale]

This So Much. This is why I think assertiveness training is essential to the movement. 

[exgynocraticgrrl-archive-deacti]

Early Musings on Amazon Feminism

Amazon Feminism (relative to Physical Feminism) seems to be making a bit of a comeback, which in certain ways can be encouraging. I think its theory is unfortunately under-developed and in some theoretical interpretations misdirected or misguided but its support of the women’s/girls’ self-defense movement(s), a particular brand of the body positivity movement (that champions female muscularity, athleticism, and physical power), and activism that counters and confronts the ableism and sexism disabled female athletes experience, while incorporating an evaluation that acknowledges the different racialized constructions of femaleness or femininity and power in relation with systems of privilege and oppression and how that ties to the body, gives it foundation. However, there is still a lot that needs to be distinctly written about it as its own school of thought in Feminism. Either that or the material published on it as such is not readily available. Nevertheless, I’m going to start posting excerpts from essays that can be attributed to it. Many of these essays examine or feature:

- Studies that reveal that women and girls underestimate how they perform on physical tests, even when they perform better than their male counterparts.

- Studies that de-emphasize what the female body can’t do but rather what we can do and how our physical strength develops and how this development is socially and culturally curbed.

- Studies that indicate the natural capacity for female strength based on training and backed by strength tests.

- How the cultural constructions of physical weakness end up being internalized by women and girls and this becomes a cyclic self-fulfilling prophecy (that we can break!).

- The “glass ceiling” that women put on their physical bodies: many women are fearful of getting “too big” (by whose standards? And for who? By heterosexually attracted men and for the benefit of male hegemony). Due to this, women often hold back when exercising and bodybuilding and deliberately avoid developing “too much” noticeable muscle mass (but it doesn’t have to be this way!).

- Excerpts analyzing how race and ethnicity shape perceptions of female strength and how, for example, white femininity contrasts the expectations and construction of black femininity since they have different historical contexts that they both developed from and in.

- The constant balancing act physically strong and noticeably muscular women endure, especially if they are women of color (more so if they are also dark skinned), in which they are expected to counter their gender non-conforming qualities by resorting to feminizing practices and looks (such as using visible make-up or excess make-up, getting large breast implants, wearing long, blonde hair, etc).

- The dually misogynistic and lesbophobic/lesbiphobic assumptions made about female athletes in which their physical strength and athleticism is culturally coded as being gender non-conforming (thus stereotyped as “masculine”) and they experience accusations of being lesbians (with negative connotation and negative stigma) or are accused of being actually male because of the sexist attitude that “No woman can actually or naturally possibly be that strong/fast/powerful!” and how they are then pressured to confirm their biological sex to prove that they are really female.

- Theories and studies on the success rates of women being able to fight back against male assailants and studies on the reported confidence boosts that women and girls generally experience when they feel they are effectively equipped with tools and tactics that they can use to fend off attackers.

- Information and tactics on self-defense, and mental tools for being able to recognize and pinpoint abusive behavior and male predation.  

There’s more and I’ll continue searching around but some of the discourse has a lot to do with the female body not just being a cage because of sex-based oppression.

It’s true that under patriarchy women are targeted for violence, degradation, inequality, and oppression on the basis of being female. Because of this, women and girls may express anger that we direct inwards towards ourselves because we may feel helpless and weak and we are frustrated with what we think are our biological limitations.

What can appeal about Amazon Feminism (or Physical Feminism in variations or by other names) is that it praises what women can do (both able-bodied and disabled) and focuses largely on women as icons of strength, power, leadership, heroism, and combat (for liberatory purposes and effect despite its risks, not for the oppressive state, unjust wars, or to perpetuate unnecessary non-defensive violence between women. This is where it can be interpreted in potentially harmful and misguided or misdirected ways that harm this Feminist project).

Amazon Feminism also provides much of the ideological foundation for the women and girls’ self-defense movement(s) and is largely supportive of women in sports, female mixed martial artists, female fitness, female bodybuilders, and female-only spaces.

Controversy? Amazon Feminism and Gun Politics:

I have not come across much reading materials openly available online in connection with gun politics and Amazon Feminism. Then again, I have not come across much involving Feminism and gun politics in general considering most Feminists (accurately) associate male-patterned violence with patterns of gun violence and thus, there’s been a neglect to alternative discourses surrounding that that aren’t completely negative or broadly demonizing.

I pointed out in a previous post that mentioned gun politics (made months ago) that intersectionality (importantly) heightens Feminist discretion since women of color have a far more delicate and dangerous relationship with firearms, and resorting to them in self-defense, and how the sexist-racist criminal (in)justice system responds to that. Just look at the initial ruling for U.S black mother Marissa Alexander (now released) who was sentenced to 20 years behind bars for firing off a warning shot to ward off her abusive husband.

Related PDF reads (mostly directly connected to the athletic and fitness component of Amazon Feminism. There are more topics of interests in this particular branch of Feminism though):

The Politics of Muscle by Gloria Steinem (approx. 1987)

“Holding Back”: Negotiating a Glass Ceiling on Women’s Muscular Strength by Shari L. Dworkin (2001)

Female Bodybuilding and the Politics of Muscle: How female bodybuilders negotiate race, gender, and (hetero)sexuality in bodybuilding competition by Ellexis Boyle (2001)

Negotiating Gender: Bodybuilding and the Natural/Unnatural Continuum by Jennifer K. Wesely (2001)

Depicting the Sporting Body: The Intersection of Gender, Race and Disability in Women’s Sport/Fitness Magazines by Marie Hardin, Susan Lynn, and Kristie Walsdorf (2006)

The female bodybuilder as a gender outlaw by Chris Shilling and Tanya Bunsell (2009)

Stereotyping, Stigma, and Femininity in Female Sports by Clare Chandler (2010)

Marginalization and Trivialization of Female Athletes and Women’s Sports through Commentator Discourse: A Study of ESPN’s SportsCenter, by Wendy Tanner (2011)

Pumping up the Pomp: An Exploration of Femininity and Female Bodybuilding by Amy Scott (2011)

IGNITE - Marginalized Muscle: Transgression and the Female Bodybuilder by Victoria Felkar (2012)

Gender Relations in Sport, Edited by Emily A. Roper (2013)

Female Athletes in a Dual-World: How they Manage, Negotiate, and Tread the Waters of Conflicting Notions of Body Types by Ariella Tali Faitelson (2013)

Towards the “Undoing” of Gender in Mixed-Sex Martial Arts and Combat Sports by Alex Channon (2014)

Women’s Bodybuilding: Towards a Radical Politics of Muscle by Nicholas Chare

Crafting the Gendered Body: Feminist Bodybuilding by Anne Balsamo

Facing the Bogey: Women, Football and Sexuality by Barbara Cox and Shona Thompson

Sport, the media and the construction of compulsory heterosexuality by presenters Jan Wright and Gill Clarke

Women in Sport: Gender Stereotypes in the Past and Present by Kristin Wilde

Women in Male Domains of Sport by Christa Kleindienst-Cachay & Karolin Heckemeyer

“You Don’t Look Like an Athlete”: The Effects of Feminine Appearance on Audience Perceptions of Female Athletes and Women’s Sports by Amy Jones

Barriers To Sports Participation For Women and Girls

An Exploration of the Miasma That Surround Black Female Athletic Directors by Jacqueline McDowell, PhD

Gendered Portrayals of Athletes by the Media - He’s a Laker; She’s a “Looker:” The Consequences of Gender-Stereotypical Portrayals of Male and Female Athletes by the Print Media, by Jennifer L. Knight and Traci A. Giuliano

Women’s Self-Defense Org (official website) Reading List

Roots of Resistance to Women’s Self Defense by Jocelyn Hollander

See Jane Fight Back

Back Off!, by Martha J. Langelan

Streetsmarts, by Louise Rafkin

Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism, by bell hooks

Beauty Bites Beast, by Ellen Snortland

Domestic Violence for Beginners, by Alisa del Tufo

Exploding the Myth of Self-Defense, by Judith Fein

Fear into Anger, by Py Bateman

The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker

Girls Fight Back! The College Girl’s Guide to Protecting Herself, by Erin Weed

The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

Heartbreak: The Political Memoir of a Feminist Militant, by Andrea Dworkin

Her Wits About Her: Self-Defense Success Stories by Women, edited by Denise Caignon and Gail Groves

In Defense of Ourselves, by Linda Tschirhart Sanford and Ann Fetter

In Search of our Mother’s Gardens: Womanist Prose, by Alice Walker

Letters from a War Zone, by Andrea Dworkin

Lust to Kill: Feminist Investigation of Sexual Murder, by Deborah Cameron

The Politics of Reality: Essays on Feminist Theory, by Marilyn Frye

Real Knockouts: The Physical Feminism of Women’s Self-Defense, by Martha McCaughey

The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence within Activist Communities, by Ching-In Chen

Self-Defense from the Inside Out: A Women’s Workbook for Developing Self-Esteem and Assertiveness Skills for Safety, by Nadia Telsey

Self-Defense: Steps to Success, by Joan Nelson

Self-Defense: The Womanly Art of Self Care, Intuition, and Choice, by Debbie Leung

Training Women in the Martial Arts: A Special Journey, by Jennifer Lawler and Laura Kamienski

Trauma and Recovery, by Judith Herman Lifelines, by Marcia Hall

Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her, by Susan Griffin

Women, Race and Class, by Angela Y. Davis

Women’s Self-Defense Org (official website) Resource List

No Means No Worldwide: Violence Prevention and Intervention

Arming Sisters: Self defense to indigenous women

She Kicks, She Throws: Martial arts for women and girls

NWMAF: National women’s martial arts federation

WomenStrength: Women’s self defense in Portland, OR

R.A.D: Rape Aggression Defense System

AWSDA: American Women’s Self Defense Association

Warrior Sisters Organization (a women’s self-defense organization/program)

Bonus Feature: Amazon Strength - “Amazon Strength is the new go-to strength training resource for women who want to get big. We are a community built around pushing each other to perform at our highest potential. All females are welcome, and we take care to be accessible to all levels of experience. Every week we release new articles, recipes, and training videos - and you won’t want to miss even one. Sign up for our mailing list to keep up-to-date on all the latest from Amazon Strength, or drop by the forums to participate in our active community building. The blatant misogyny of the fitness industry has kept too many of us from pursuing strength training for too long. Amazon Strength is here to share this valuable knowledge with unending female positivity. In order to maintain this vision, we ask that you read our Community Guidelines before interacting on the site. Come on down - we can’t wait to meet you. AMAZONSTRENGTH.ORG”

[feministe-radicale]

women & strength training

Every woman who is able should strength train.

Every. Single. Woman.

This isn’t about trying to look attractive, it’s about becoming more capable physically. This isn’t about whittling oneself to 8% body fat either; you can be fat and strong.

Patriarchal society wants us to be diminutive, “dainty”, slight, waifish, incapable. It wants us simultaneously dependent upon and cowed under male strength. Fuck that.

Let’s start closing the gap.

You don’t necessarily need a gym membership but it certainly helps. If you have a Planet Fitness in the area they’re super cheap as far as gyms go: typically $10/mo with no contract and a variable starter’s fee (usually $15 or less, though they do have specials where they waive even the starter fee). After that initial fee they do charge like a $25 or thereabouts fee once a year on top of the monthly. If you don’t have a Planet Fitness around, check to see if there’s a community center gym or a YMCA. If you’re in college you probably have free access to the athletic center.

Resources to get you started:

Stumptuous.com - Beginner’s resource for women. Lots of articles.

Bodybuilder.com’s Female Training Bible

The New Rules of Lifting for Women (book)

Even something like Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred is a good way to get started.

If anyone has resources or tips to share please do and I’ll edit the post to include them.

[woc-against-patriarchy]

Women of Color against Patriarchy, first post.

Men of Color (MoC) do not get a free pass on misogyny!!!!

This blog was created so that I could post content that is intended to present problems within communities of culture that exist due to patriarchal influences. Due to so-called “anti-racist” liberal discourses, it has become increasingly difficult on the Left to openly criticize men of color for their misogyny, violence against women and girls, and perpetuation of patriarchy. To openly criticize men of color for being male chauvinists or misogynists runs the risk of being deemed a “racist” by well-intended liberals who prioritize men of color and multiculturalism over the safety, freedom, and liberty of women and girls who are oppressed by men, no matter the race or ethnicity of the men.

This blog is founded by a woman of color who is completely fed up and done with liberal politicians and activists that care more about not offending men of color than they do about defending, protecting, and advocating for oppressed women and girls of color.

Left-Wing (liberal and Leftist) social justice activists and politicians must decide whether or not they’re going to tolerate female oppression in the name of being “anti-racist” and “multicultural” or whether they’re going to stand up against female oppression even at the risk of being unfairly deemed a “racist” or even worse.

If you’re a woman of color who is over with politics that ignores or minimizes male violence and patriarchy when it is perpetuated by men of color, please reblog this post.

If you’re a woman of color who is fed up and done with politics that demands that you do not advocate on behalf of women because there are “bigger issues” (that “oppress” men and not women, of course), please reblog this post.

If you’re a woman of color who is not a cultural relativist and you realize that it is necessary to have cultural criticisms from feminist perspectives since most cultures are male-dominated, please reblog this post.

If you’re a woman (a woman of color or white) and you believe that “culture” and/or “tradition” is not a suitable excuse or explanation to justify men (any men of any race or ethnicity) oppressing women and girls, please reblog this post.

We have had enough.

We have had enough with cultural codes of silence that insist we remain silent when men of color who are our fathers, brothers, husbands, uncles, sons, men who are the same race or ethnicity as us, and religious brethren, beat us, rape us, mistreat us, abuse us in many various ways, exploit our labor, and so much more.

We have had enough with cultural codes of silence that insist we shut our mouths because when we speak out against our own patriarchal cultures (dominated by men of color) we are told that we’re “airing dirty laundry” and making our race or ethnic community “look bad.” Women of color are not responsible for men of color oppressing us, we are not to blame for the violence and oppression men of color inflict upon us.

We have had enough with outdated cultural customs and practices that are either irrelevant in this current century, and/or are harmful to our physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional health and well-being. We have had enough with cultural customs, traditions, practices, and values that are torturous, dehumanizing, misogynistic, and inhumane.

Cultures can change and advocating for cultural changes aren’t always bad, racist, colonialist, or imperialist.

Stop acting as if the only people who want to see patriarchal cultures of color change are white, Western, (neo)colonialists and imperialists. Many people who want to see patriarchal cultures of color change are not white, not Western, and are both reformist and radical people of color advocating within their own racial and ethnic communities in the hopes that the culture is able to adjust to accommodate women’s rights, freedoms, and liberation. Furthermore, following the “logic” of cultural relativists, all feminists are so-called colonialists and imperialists since the goal of feminism is to dismantle patriarchal societal and cultural structures. Feminism aims to end female oppression without exception. In order to accomplish this, all male-dominated cultures and societies are going to have to change. If you’re a pro-female or pro-feminist activist, then your priorities should be obvious here. Women’s rights and freedoms surpasses men’s “rights” to oppress women in the name of continuing patriarchal cultural traditions, values, and practices.

Block or blacklist this blog all you want but know that women of color are rising up. So many of us are exhausted with being oppressed and silenced within our own ethnic and racial communities. So many of us are fed up with being told to pretend as if there’s no female oppression in our communities of color because these male-dominated cultures fear what white, Western outsiders might think. Racism is real, racial and ethnic oppression is real, but so is female oppression and so is the oppression of women of color by men of color. It’s time we acknowledged this and it’s time we opened up critical discussion and dialogue about this fact. Women of color need to strategize and organize with one another and find ways to advance our rights and freedoms and the Left needs to know that when their anti-racist politics makes it extremely difficult or impossible for women of color to speak out against misogyny in their own communities, that their anti-racist politics need to be re-evaluated for misogynistic flaws.

[feministe-radicale]

book resource list

I’m working on a comprehensive reading list that goes much further than listing the big name second wave radfem books that tend to get posted over and over again. I’m going to have categories for topics like Feminist Perspectives on Buddhism and Amazon Feminist Resources, etc.

If anyone has suggestions for categories or book recommendations don’t hesitate to send them my way!

[davidfosterflawless-deactivated]

its kinda stupid to pretend like the origin of misogyny Way Back When In The Ancient World wasnt men commodifying the uterus in order to ensure babies or u know. like thats sorta how it happened. they reduced women to baby factories and treated them like shit to keep them “in their places” and still indulge in this model behavior. anyways just my thought

[smalldarlinglesbian]

Yes. Everyone please read “who cooked the last supper? The women’s history of the world” by Rosalind miles. PLEASE! She covers this.

[feministe-radicale]

Every woman should read The Creation of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner. It goes into great historical detail about how all this went down.