When I was in high school, I didn’t know the concept of feminism existed. I likewise had no idea that feminist was an identity I could possess, or that I would later be lobbying for others to identify as feminists too. Feminism, may we never forget, looks different for everyone. Your feminism is different from mine as it differs from your mother’s or your third grade teacher’s. While any individual might believe in causes that align with overarching feminist goals and agendas, so many people cringe at the thought of identifying as feminist. Cue Julie Zeilinger, a young woman just 6 months older than myself who wrote a book about why feminism should be accepted in mainstream society while she was in high school. We can look at this in two ways: Julie is an exemplary figure of progressive thought and of the feminist movement whose work should be applauded and appropriately critiqued in the growing body of feminist literature OR Julie puts me completely to shame and I should just stop writing now. I’m not sure I am anymore prepared as a twentysomething to publish a book collecting my thoughts on feminism than I was in high school, yet Julie did it by 19. It’s slightly frustrating – to be honest – but it in no way should discourage writers of all ages from adding their perspectives to this camp of knowledge, on whatever platform possible.
My two biggest points of critique or what challenged me the most when reading Zeilinger’s book, A Little F’d Up: Why Feminism is Not a Dirty Word, was her obvious privilege that allowed her to found and run a thriving website and publish a book by her high school graduation, and the implicit parallels she draws between feminism and other marginalized identities. This is not to say that Julie’s success is undeserved or that she is the only one of her kind whose personal privilege and connections permitted success at such a young age. On the contrary, I feel some odd form of feminist jealousy under an umbrella of feminist solidarity in the sense that I feel like can never achieve such recognition for my feminist stance and blogging platform, despite years of work. Really, Zeilinger’s work, her site and publication, are indicative of a pivotal point in the current feminist era in which the opinions of young women and girls are gaining merit. The fact that she was taken seriously enough at her young age to have her writing go to print is huge. I feel like I struggle with the “plague of being young” every day within my job, my professional relationships, and even within my classes in which I am older or the same age as my classmates. There is this feigned notion of wisdom that accompanies age, but I’m not sure that anyone else knows at what age you can be deemed wise. Is it 30? Is it 40? Is it 52? Is it when you have a string of letters and punctuation following your name, or when you reach 100k followers on Instagram? There isn’t a clear pathway to knowledge or clout, but Julie earned that before her 20th birthday – she’s doing something right. Honestly, maybe?
I’m not a huge fan of the way Zeilinger parades her feminist identity, however. She definitely notes feminism doesn’t look the same for everyone, and that feminist is not her only identity, yet her testimony of coming out as a feminist is a bit dramatic. “Going public” with a feminist identity is hardly comparable to announcing a marginalized sexual identity nor is it on par with major racial or socioeconomic stigmas in American culture. I believe my critique is valid, but is it excusable because of her age? This paradox of age is something I’ve yet to debunk. Regardless, I applaud Julie for her successes and pray that she uses her time in the limelight (however long that lasts) to reach out to other girls, and to encourage a new generation of young authors in defense of feminism.
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Blogger Feature: Mary England, Uncustomary Art
Mary England of Uncustomary Art
Having had the privilege of meeting her at the 2015 BlogU Conference, Mary is one of the most positive and supportive individuals I have ever met. Not only does Mary run a site geared towards positivity and self-love, her posts support new innovations, an appreciation of all identities and peoples, and creative initiatives. Mary just recently received funding to publish her first book from her loyal supporters via a crowdfunding platform. Whether she is sending letters in the mail to her readers or staging art installations throughout her city, Mary is committed to building a more positive and inclusive society that recognizes everyone’s worth and potential.
