Back to index of Nerve 19 - Winter 2011

Blogging Feminists

By Maria Ng

Blogs and other websites are very much at the heart of the contemporary feminist resurgence. The internet enables women worldwide to find their voices and each other, bypassing mainstream media that objectifies, mocks or marginalises them. Ordinary women's calls to action, social commentary, rants, consciousness-raising, heated debates, personal experiences and inspired insights can reach many thousands of readers, easily and freely. (Blogs were and are online diaries, but proved such a versatile platform for writing on the internet that they have now come to be used for so much more.)

There are hundreds of feminist websites, so this list doesn't even begin to be representative. Instead, it's a selection of places to start out from. Browse back through their archives, enjoy the discussions, explore the sites they link to, and discover your own favourites for regular reading.

I Blame The Patriarchy - blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com
IBTP is the blog of an extremely witty, radical, Texan lesbian spinster aunt who doesn't suffer fools gladly or sugarcoat the revolutionary goals of feminism. It isn't strictly a space for beginners, but no list of feminist blogs is complete without it. You might back off very slowly and carefully, or you might equally shout "This blog has changed my life!".

UK Feminista - ukfeminista.org.uk
A networking hub for feminist activists and organisations in the UK; organisers of the Feminist Summer School and the Fem conferences.

Shakesville - shakespearessister.blogspot.com
A feminism and social justice blog, committed to walking its talk, with an engaged and supportive community of commenters. It's a very busy site, with lots of simply social and fun posts, so definitely start with the collected "Feminism 101" archive to discover the passion and insight of lead blogger Melissa McEwan's writing - she has an amazing talent for articulating and challenging the dynamics of injustice and oppression.

Hollaback - www.ihollaback.org
Not just a website, but a movement to end street harassment! Hollaback websites worldwide provide a platform for women and girls to share experiences of public harassment - and sometimes to turn the tables on harassers by publishing photos of them.

Finally, a Feminism 101 Blog - finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com
This handy website aims to answer lots of frequently asked questions (aka "FAQs") about feminism. A great resource for anyone new to feminism or anyone in discussion with someone new to, or even hostile to, feminism.

Womens Views on News - www.womensviewsonnews.org
Womens eNews - womensenews.org
Both of these invaluable websites gather together news from the world's media that features or concerns women - great resources and a refreshing change from the norm.

The F Word - www.thefword.org.uk
10 years old this year, this brilliant site is a feminist "webzine" that in many ways was really the start of the new wave of online feminism in the UK. Browse their archive of features and reviews, and bookmark their blog to stay up to date with UK feminist news and views.

Hoyden About Town - hoydenabouttown.com
A lively blog collective of Australian feminists who write on a wide range of subjects. ("Hoyden: woman of saucy, boisterous or carefree behaviour.")

If you fancy writing your own blog then you can set one up for free at sites like www.wordpress.com or www.blogger.com - or why not contribute to the Angry Women of Liverpool blog - angrywomen.wordpress.com?

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