Fight Like a Girl, Second Edition

How to Be a Fearless Feminist

Megan Seely

• Publisher: NYU Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781479810109
• eBook ISBN: 9781479869916
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Gender Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

A blueprint for the next generation of feminist activists Fight Like a Girl offers a vision of the past, present, and future of feminism. With an eye toward what it takes to create actual change and a deep understanding of women's history and the key issues facing girls and young women today, Megan Seely offers a pragmatic introduction to feminism. Written in an upbeat and personal style, Fight Like a Girl offers an overview of feminism, including historical roots, myths and meanings, triumphs and shortcomings. Sharing personal stories from her own experience as a young activist, as a mother, and as a teacher, Seely offers a practical guide to getting involved, taking action, and waging successful events and campaigns. The second edition addresses more themes and topics than before, including gender and sexuality, self-esteem, reproductive health, sexual violence, body image and acceptance, motherhood and family, and intersections of identities, such as race, gender, class, and sexualities. Fight Like a Girl is an invaluable introduction to both feminism and activism, defining the core tenets of feminism, the key challenges both within and outside the feminist movement, and the steps we can take to create a more socially just world.

1

Fight Like a Girl

In my work as an activist and teacher, I hear people ask, “What can I do?” One of the main goals of this book is to answer that question. Activism can often seem out of reach, but in truth the best part of activism is that anyone can do it. Activism can easily be incorporated into our daily lives—from the conversations we have with friends to where we decide to shop. Activism is individual, but it is also collective. The action we take impacts those around us directly and indirectly. Whether small and individual or large and in a group, the steps we take to change the world connect us with others. True equity and respect have not yet been achieved; activism is still necessary. Sharing our realities to educate one another on the challenges that persist is an important step to politicizing our lives and recognizing that the issues we face are shared by others. Sometimes the largest hurdle to activism is finding commonalities with one another so that we share the common goal of ending all discrimination and creating a world where we are not only treated but also regarded as equal. Beyond this hurdle, we learn that all of our voices are valid, that activism takes many forms, and that activism can be incorporated into every aspect of our lives.

Young adults today are confronted with the challenge of how to strike a balance between personal desires and social responsibilities. We have inherited a sense of equality that leads us to believe that the fight for justice is complete. We are told that feminism and social change are no longer necessary. Unfortunately, the emphasis on individuality, along with the misconception that equity has already been achieved, leads to the failure to fully appreciate the necessity of activism and feminism.

Let there be no mistake—equity and equality are not yet enjoyed by all, and feminism is not dead. Indeed, we have achieved many rights and made many gains, but we are not there yet. The fight for true political, social, and economic justice continues. And, while we often enjoy the benefits of a fight for equality that many today were not required to undertake, we must realize that this equality is not universal, equity has not been achieved, and that it is this generation that must take up the fight. This movement belongs to us all. We each have a stake; we all can contribute. All voices, experiences, perspectives, and visions can be incorporated and represented, for we all benefit from shared and practiced equity. We can raise our voices to speak against injustice at every level—individually and institutionally. We can elect people to office at every level of government who will honor and protect us all. We need to make sure that women are represented in leadership in every social institution within our global society—so that women are represented in any and all decision-making bodies. Women must have control over their bodies, sexualities, choices, and lives. Women must be safe at each and every turn—no exception. We can join together, work together, protect and support one another. We can be individuals who also find a common ground from which to speak collectively. We can share our stories, lead by example, and be activists in our daily lives. This is what it means to fight like a girl.

It is terrifying how many gains have been undone or have come under serious attack in just the last two years. It serves as a powerful reminder of how much work remains to be done. Jen, 30, white, heterosexual, Colorado

Grass roots n. 1. ordinary citizens, esp. as contrasted with the leadership or elite. 2. the people inhabiting these areas, esp. as a political, social, or economic group. 3. the origin or basis of something.

Ac·tiv·ism n. the practice of vigorous action or involvement as a means of achieving political or other goals, as by demonstrations, protests, etc.—ac·tiv·ist, n., adj.

How to Fight Like a Girl

No act is too small; you may never know the full extent of your impact. Activism is contagious. While you may be one person, your voice and actions can touch others, whose voices and actions can touch still others, and so forth until we experience change. This is how activism works. This is how Title IX was achieved, how sexual harassment was recognized, how laws are passed and policies created. Social change begins on a small level with a small group of people who envision a new way. But before we get too far, let’s get right to it. Here are some actions you can take:

• • Talk to friends, family, students, and/or co-workers about political or social issues that concern you. Gather information to share with them from organizations, websites, books, or classes.
• • Make a phone call to an elected official, advertising sponsor, business, or school to let them know how you feel about their policies, practices, or products.
• • Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in response to an article about women, gender, race, health care, politics, or any issue that interests you.
• • Set up a table to give out information in your community or on your campus. You may need to get permission from your campus or community business, or check into using a free-speech area. Make sure that you position yourself in front of the table to hand out materials and answer questions—don’t hide behind the table; be accessible. Let the table hold your materials, not you! One variation to a table is sidewalk chalking. When I was in college, we did a sidewalk chalking where we wrote meeting and event information on the sidewalk in front of the student union and main buildings—requires less people power and still gets your message out!
• • Host a consciousness raising group—bring together friends, family, or colleagues to discuss an important issue.
• • Organize a house party to educate and mobilize your friends to vote or to support a feminist candidate running for office. Invite people to come over to discuss an upcoming election—have each participant research a different issue and bring the information to the group. Make it a potluck, or meet over coffee.
• • Work on a voter registration campaign; register people in your community to vote in the next election.
• • Offer to watch the children of someone you know so that the person can go to the polls and vote.
• • Give testimony at your local city hall or before the state legislature or Congress.
• • Organize a human billboard action—gather some friends to line a main street in your town with signs that have a message, each sign carrying a portion of the message: for example, “Honk . . . if you . . . support . . . equity.”
• • Organize a candlelight vigil to raise awareness about an issue or to commemorate an important event/date. After a series of clinic bombings in northern California, I participated in a candlelight vigil that served a dual purpose—the vigil raised awareness about violence directed toward our reproductive health care providers and also provided some much-needed protection for a specific health center. We surrounded the building in shifts and camped out to protect the health center from attack that night.
• • Organize a speak out, like the Take Back the Night rallies where women have the opportunity to speak about their experiences with violence in a safe and supportive environment. This can be done with any issue.
• • Organize an informational picket—make signs, bring together a bunch of people, and walk back and forth in front of a business, courthouse, or legislature, sharing information with people passing by.
• • Utilize social media—Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, and other effective sources—to share news stories, promote events, and comment on the political issues of the day. You can also create a social media campaign. For example, a student of mine created a campaign a few years ago where she posted a photo of herself holding up a sign that read “I’m a Feminist Because . . .” with her response. She created this from a classroom discussion about a generation or more of young folks who claim the benefits of feminism and yet reject the name, the “I’m not a feminist but . . .” folks. She created a Facebook page, invited others to join her, and soon gained the attention of Ms. Magazine and the Feminist Majority who worked with her to attach her campaign to their already long-standing “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” project.
• • Boycott—a boycott is the withholding of financial support (e.g., by refusing to buy a particular product) as a form of protest against the policies or practices of a business, institution, or organization. There are many legal guidelines for a boycott, so make sure to get legal advice before calling for one.
• • Plan a girlcott or a “boycott” related to a specifically woman-centered cause. Sometimes, a “girlcott” is defined as bringing resources into an organization, business, or institution to support their efforts—in other words, the opposite of a boycott.
• • Organize street theater. Dress up and act out your concerns in a public venue. During the 2000 elections, I was one of nine people who dressed up as the Supreme Court justices and then held a press conference about what we saw as a threat to the Court.
• • Organize a benefit—for example, a walk-a-thon, a concert, a comedy night, an art show.
• • Organize a rally—small, medium, or large. Have people come together in a central location to hear speakers and receive information about a given event.
• • Organize a march—small, medium, or large. Have people gather in one place, hear speakers, and then move in an organized fashion to another location. People carry signs with political messages and/or shout chants to raise awareness about an important issue. Notably, in April 2004, the feminist movement hosted the March for Women’s Lives in Washington, D.C., to emphasize the critical issues that women are facing today. The march has been called the largest march in U.S. history, with approximately 1.15 million participants!1 In 2017, in cities across the country, people of all genders joined together to create a nationwide, even global, Women’s March, protesting the presidency of Donald Trump. In 2018, following the Parkland school shooting, high school students across the country organized individual marches in their cities and towns to collectively stand against gun violence in schools.

The possibilities for action are endless; I’ve provided just a few ideas that I’ve used and taught. Be inclusive. Talk to organizations, talk to friends, and come up with your own ideas. Look for allies and partners. Don’t let taking action overwhelm you; start at the level you are comfortable. Throughout this book, I offer suggestions for actions you can take related to the issues discussed in the book. Again, this list is not exhaustive. Be creative. Have fun.

Regardless of the type of action you plan, there are a few guidelines that always apply:

• Don’t try to do it all on your own. Involve others—delegate responsibility.
• Develop a realistic timeline and follow it.
• Check your W’s—who, what, where, when, why. Make sure to answer these questions whenever planning. Be clear on the details.
• Imagine all the things that could go wrong, and plan for contingencies in advance.
• Develop a media strategy from the beginning.
• Fundraise and recruit new people to help with future actions.

How to Be an Ally

Social justi...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• The “F-Word”: An Introduction
• 1 Fight Like a Girl
• 2 Catch a Wave
• 3 A Movement for Everyone
• 4 At the Table
• 5 Good Enough
• 6 Knock ’em Up . . . Knock ’em Down
• 7 Fighting Back
• 8 Leading the Way
• Acknowledgments
• Appendix A: Timeline and Checklist for Action
• Appendix B: Building an Activist Kit
• Appendix C: How to Write a Press Release
• Appendix D: Guidelines to a Good Media Interview
• Appendix E: Guidelines to Creating and Earning Effective Media
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author