Feminist Friday Spring Wrap-Up

This has been a good run of posts. Aside from a week off to post for #1000Speak, we’ve had a discussion every Friday since January 30 and I’ve put a lot less work into it than I did last year. We’re getting better at this.

I find it more than a little funny that I’ve written 12 Feminist Friday posts over the last year or so, and not a single one of them has been published here. But this is where the schedule is and where the links are archived so we can collect them into an e-book later and offer it to you for free. I sorta had to do the wrap-up here this time around.

Last weekend I was almost mugged by four guys. I escaped, but not without bleeding. That got me thinking about my own privilege. I almost posted about it today, but decided to pass.

I’m not ready to connect the violence I experienced last weekend to the privilege, so I am saving that for June. I will tell you the story in my #WeekendCoffeeShare post tomorrow, but today I’m taking a stroll through the last six weeks of Feminist Fridays so those of you who missed some of them can find those posts and check them out.

Week 1

I explain why I am a feminist. 47 comments.

Week 2

Sabina on the problems with the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Seventy-nine comments, but that is deceptive because the thread got trolled and we interacted with the person who was trolling the thread to elicit information from them. It got us enough information for me to write a four-part series.

1. Yes, Trolling is a Thing.
2. Eight Indicators of Trolling
3. Here’s How I Handle It
4. Are You Vulnerable?

I also outed the trolling person without mentioning them on the front page. You have to read the series and follow the links. If you blog about feminism or any other topic that makes you an easy target, you want to read the series and follow the links.

Week 3

Leah on genderswap, and It. Is. Amazing. 48 comments. No trolling.

Week 4

Hannah on Women in Refrigerators. 37 comments, but we were starting back up after an off-week, most of us weren’t able to devote the attention to this it deserved, and 1000 Speak was still pounding the Internet with compassion links while the discussion was going on. I would not mind re-visiting this topic at some point.

Week 5

Diana on changing her name after getting married the first time, and about not changing it the second time. And about how people react to that. 86 comments, and not a lot of people talking to one another, but she obviously touched something. Because people responded to her.

Week 6

Gretchen on why girls don’t do more math and science. It got 99 comments, and very few were mine.

A good run, I say. I’m hoping for one more good thread, so here are three prompts for you to choose from. Respond to all that apply.

1. Would you like to host one of these discussions this summer? We’re looking to add one or two new hosts. If interested, let us know on the thread.
2. These posts cover a lot of ground. They start with a personal piece, then move into media and culture, and finally come back to the personal. The last article touches the personal, the larger culture AND education. (Good job there, Gretchen!) Is there a common thread? Discuss.
3. What topics would you like to see included in the next round?

This post will be archived with all the others so we can find it easily. Offering topics here means something. I’ll re-visit this thread in May and pull ideas from it when I start planning for summer. So if you have feminist leanings and you want something discussed, best chime in this week.

Thanks, everyone, for hosting and sharing and showing up for these discussions week-in and week-out. As long as you keep showing up, I’ll keep organizing them.