There's always a good time to be a feminist.
By Merethe Najjar — Written on Nov 29, 2016
“Feminism isn’t simply about being a woman in a position of power. It’s battling systemic inequalities; it’s a social justice movement that believes sexism, racism, and classism exist and interconnect, and that they should be consistently challenged.”
Feminism can be a dirty word, but it shouldn’t be. Some people don’t understand what it means, or perhaps take it out of context, but author, blogger, and feminist extraordinaire Jessica Valenti is no stranger to fighting for women. She works hard to make sure that inequality, sexism, and sexual abuse will not stand because she wants equality for us ladies in a time when feminism is more important than it has been since women’s suffrage.
Often in this world, women are taught to stay silent at injustices against our sex or to even sympathize with their attackers against the women who call out those injustices. There are many women who claim to identify as feminists and many women who don’t.
But despite the people who try to tear women down, Jessica Valenti and other strong feminists are always going to stand and fight for what they believe in so that other ladies can, too. Because even being able to fight to not be considered a feminist is thanks in part to feminism and women who have fought for your right to be able to speak your mind at all.
Whether you identify as a feminist or not, there are things that you should absolutely fight for when it comes to women's rights. You should support your fellow woman and help build up your society so that little girls in generations after yours can have it better, brighter, and more empowered than ever. Or just so that you can. All women deserve to live in a society that loves, cherishes, and regards them as the strong, awesome people they are.
So in a time when a woman’s right to vote is being called into question, and the President-Elect is a man who was quoted as saying “Grab ‘em by the pussy,” you can fight back harder than ever before. Use the path that feminists have already paved to find your way through when times are tough. And know that if you need the inspiration to keep going forward, then you have the wise words of women like Jessica Valenti to help you.
Here are 15 Jessica Valenti feminist quotes to inspire you to be a better woman, mother, sister, and feminist:
1. You can always aspire for more.
"We can love our children without believing the world revolves around them. We can derive pleasure from caretaking without thinking it’s the most important thing we’ll ever do or the biggest contribution we’ll make to society. And we can be exhausted, overworked moms while still recognizing that there are plenty of other jobs that are harder and yes, even more important."
2. You must look for fulfillment in yourself.
"While falling in love is fun, it’s not everything, and it’s not the antidote to an unfulfilled life, despite what Reese Witherspoon movies may tell you."
3. Everyone is responsible for their OWN actions.
"Making women the sexual gatekeepers and telling men they just can’t help themselves not only drives home the point that women’s sexuality is unnatural, but also sets up a disturbing dynamic in which women are expected to be responsible for men’s sexual behavior."
4. Stop the shaming!
"It seems the word ‘slut’ can be applied to any activity that doesn’t include knitting, praying, or sitting perfectly still lest any sudden movement be deemed whorish."
5. You are more than just a parent.
"The truth about parenting is that the reality of our lives needs to be enough."
6. Women can do great things.
"How insulting is it to suggest the best thing women can do is raise other people to do incredible things?"
7. If they can do it, there's hope for the future.
"Hearing the Beastie Boys speak out against sexism made me feel like if these men who had once sung about getting girls to ‘do the laundry’ and ‘clean up my room’ could understand, maybe the rest of the world would follow suit. It made me hopeful in the best way."
8. Find your special talent and be known for it.
"Value yourself for what the media doesn’t — your intelligence, your street smarts, your ability to play a kick-ass game of pool, whatever. So long as it’s not just valuing yourself for your ability to look hot in a bikini and be available to men, it’s an improvement."
9. We shouldn't feel remorse for the wrong people.
"It seems odd that we continue to worry about the reputations of men who are accused of sexual wrong-doings."
10. Good people are good people. Period.
"It’s time to teach our daughters that their ability to be good people depends on their being good people, not on whether or not they’re sexually active."
11. Don't fall for it!
"The cultural insistence that parenting is the ‘most important’ job in the world is a smart way to satiate unappreciated women without doing a damn thing for them."
12. You are wonderful. Don't let someone tell you otherwise.
"You’re not too fat. You’re not too loud. You’re not too smart. You’re not unladylike. There is nothing wrong with you."
13. Sexuality and morals are not the same things.
"When young women are taught about morality, there’s not often talk of compassion, kindness, courage, or integrity. There is, however, a lot of talk about hymens."
14. Feminism is important!
"If feminism wasn’t powerful, if feminism wasn’t influential, people wouldn’t spend so much time putting it down."
Jessica Valenti is an author, reporter, and blogger who created the website Feministing. You can find more of her work on The Guardian, or follow her on Twitter, and read her books, Sex Object and Full-Frontal Feminism.
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