The Ms. Foundation is doing a fun new campaign in honor of Gloria Steinem's upcoming (75th!) birthday. Check it out:
From the website:
In the spirit of Gloria and in recognition of the outrageous acts Ms. Foundation grantees do every day, we invite you to commit, share and support outrageous acts in the cause of simple justice. Acts that change the world in ways large and small, acts that support change from the ground up, acts that shift our or others' thinking about issues of equity and justice in our lives.
So go for it and let the Ms. Foundation know what wild thing you do. They've got lots of ideas of what constitutes "outrageous" action listed, but I thought we might add some of our own suggestions as a perpetually innovative and always surprising feministing community. To get you started...
1. Buzz cut your hair.
2. Give a huge tip to someone that makes you coffee.
3. Join a union.
4. Come out at work.
5. Learn everything you can about a foreign conflict.
6. Tell the person you're making out with exactly how you like it.
7. Tell an old woman how beautiful she is.
8. Stop buying magazines that make you feel like shit about your body.
9. Write a letter telling that magazine why you're not buying it anymore.
10. Go see an independent film made by a woman.
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I guess I am an outrageous person in general cause nothing on that list is out of the ordinary for me (if 4 applied I would have likely done that too).
the Ultimate to do list for an activist performance artist or - you:
http://metahara.livejournal.com/111593.html
add:
start a safe house
become a foster parent
write a book
put on a play that supports a cause in it's message and donate the profits
start a non profit that helps women
Your suggestions were good, but I know I do not have the resources/money to be able to just up and start a safe house, or produce a play or start a non-profit. The acts mentioned in the original post are more attainable for me.
how about as a outrageous act I go talk to Steinem about transgender rights and see if her opinions and beliefs about transgendered people have changed!
That's really disappointing- I didn't know that.
Yeah, she's really into the idea of non-essentialism, so to her, there's no way a man can have been "born in a woman's body" or vice-versa, and transpeople just need to learn to accept themselves as they are, rather than try to transition. It's one of the few things she says that just doesn't sit right with me.
Not "outrageous" but me and my friend are so far planning to participate in the SF Walk Against Rape in April and I'm super pumped for it.
For what it's worth, I think this counts!
This is so fucking great, because this week is 'Respect for Life' week at my Catholic college. They don't allow a pro-choice club, which I can understand since they'd be funding it, but protests aren't allowed either. Well they are, but it's a huge administrative process that takes weeks-- basically, it's organizing an event. Which is not a protest.
So if I see their little fucking white flags in the shape of a cross on the quad to represent all of the dead embryos, I'm going to buy my own little RED flags and make a huge heart to represent all of the dead WOMEN.
GAH.
Sorry.
Well, I think the most radical thing a woman can do is tell the truth--the truth about marriage AND childbith AND workplace issues AND sex... All the good and bad aspects!
Here's my top ten list:
1. If your over 35 or so, how about growing your hair long rather than cutting it off (older women are expected to give up the sensuality of long hair as they age especially in the corporate realm)
2. Compliment a young woman on her intellect (rather than paying attention to her looks).
3. Confidently, publically, and loudly, refer to yourself as a feminist or a womanist.
4. When someone grills you about being a feminist, simply ask them to explain why they aren't.
5. Confront the unfair division of labor at home. Directly confront your husband/boyfriend (if you have one) about his sense of entitilement.
6. Call a teacher and thank her.
7. Buy yourself something beautiful to wear--don't wait until you lose the 'extra" pounds.
8. Buy or download music by a female artist (Dolly Parton expresses a unique feminist viewpoint in her songs--she's not old-fashioned at all)
9. Read a literary work by a female author.
10. Learn all the words to "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy. Still relevant today!
Re: #5
How about doing something even more radical and set up an equal division of labour in your home? It's possible!
Well, I think the most radical thing a woman can do is tell the truth--the truth about marriage AND childbith AND workplace issues AND sex... All the good and bad aspects!
Here's my top ten list:
1. If your over 35 or so, how about growing your hair long rather than cutting it off (older women are expected to give up the sensuality of long hair as they age especially in the corporate realm)
2. Compliment a young woman on her intellect (rather than paying attention to her looks).
3. Confidently, publically, and loudly, refer to yourself as a feminist or a womanist.
4. When someone grills you about being a feminist, simply ask them to explain why they aren't.
5. Confront the unfair division of labor at home. Directly confront your husband/boyfriend (if you have one) about his sense of entitilement.
6. Call a teacher and thank her.
7. Buy yourself something beautiful to wear--don't wait until you lose the 'extra" pounds.
8. Buy or download music by a female artist (Dolly Parton expresses a unique feminist viewpoint in her songs--she's not old-fashioned at all)
9. Read a literary work by a female author.
10. Learn all the words to "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy. Still relevant today!
how about grow/cut your hair however the fuck you want it, regardless of how people think it should be?
LOL! I am with you on that one, I WANT my hair short because it suits ME.
In response to some of the other ideas.I don't recommend anyone tell an old woman how beautiful she is unless your really really think it, because it will just come across as hollow. Tell us we are cool if you think so, or like our outfit, or haircut or artwork, but skip the "oh you are so beautiful for your age" stuff. We aren't daft, we look in the mirror daily.
my grandma is one of the most beautiful women i know! honestly. i like her wrinkly skin and i always admire her beautiful face. so blah to your comment!
I do a little craftivism, and leave artwork out in public that relates to issues.
I did #9 when I was 14, telling off Seventeen magazine "for leading us through a world of lipgloss and hairspray that doesn't really exist," and ignoring what really matters to girls. (Yes, I still remember the phrase).
It may not be that outrageous, but I am buying a house on my own. I'm also in a 2 year committed relationship, and a lot of people are freaking out that I'm buying a house on my own instead of waiting to see if I get married soon. I love my significant other and he loves me, but we have discussed things and come to the conclusion that we are not ready to marry (he is divorced, and says while he hopes to be ready to recommit permanently at some point, he is not there yet). And I'm tired of waiting to have a home, lawn and space of my own. So I'm taking the plunge just in time for my 30th birthday.
Rock on knitgirl! That's awesome.
I love these ideas! How fun! My ideas aren't too outrageous, but anyway....
* Write a letter to the editor, explaining why feminism is still important.
* Next time somebody says "I'm not feminist, but..." instead of grasping for the crumbs that follow, stop them at the first phrase with a gaping "You're NOT????"
* Just for fun, begin most of your small-talk with the phrase "As a feminist...." (e.g. "As a feminist, I think this spring weather is just wonderful.")
* Make a donation of time or money to your local women's shelter.
* Start speaking your dreams. I experienced the power of this one last autumn when someone asked offhand "So what do you do?" and before I could talk about my dayjob, my mouth suddenly said, "I'm an author." I changed my frame of reference by recognizing that I had to BE what I wanted before I could DO what I wanted, not the other way around.
* Tell your neices or daughters how smart and strong they are.
* Ask your boyfriend/brother/husband/malefriend to read The Red Tent (or some other feminist fiction that moves you) and then discuss. Or you might just have to hold him...
* Let your children know, in an offhand way, that if one of them every came out as gay, your response would be supportive.
* Teach your teens that using the word "gay" as an insult in place of "lame" is just switching one scrap of hatespeech for another.
* Try a new kind of menstrual device that's more ecological and woman-friendly, such as a cup, sea sponge, or reusable cloth pads.
* Buy something from a woman-owned business, on purpose.
* Wear shoes that are good for your body.
* Support midwifery!
* For the next month, speak out about the things that would make you fume internally, like that sign at the OB office saying the doctors will no longer perform VBAC, or the way your accountant always lists your husband as head-of-household, even the years you earn the money and he stays home with the kids.
These suggestions are great. Submit the ones you commit at http://outrageousacts.org There we share acts and challenges to action from Ms. Foundation grantees and like-minded people nationwide.
We also invite you to join our cause on Facebook http://causes.com/outrageousacts Keep the outrageous actions and conversation going!
I'm organising a blood donation drive at my office block. I've signed up 18 people so far and tomorrow I'll find out how many more are interested in donating blood.
And I challenge people's biases every day. But my favourite outrageous act is to get smokers to use their ashtrays and not just toss the cigarette stub onto the ground. I love, love, love doing it.