Unconventional Women?

by elissabassist

This August I flew from San Francisco to Denver, where I was born female and raised feminist, for two reasons: vacation and the Democratic National Convention.

I had no credentials and few connections; however, I reasoned that being a Denver native and a politically-minded party-crasher was enough of a ticket, at least to check out Unconventional Women, the “historic symposium uniting 3,000 women, advancing their political leadership and participation.”

Before I reached my seat, one of the symposium volunteers bestowed magenta neck gear upon me (similar to what all the credentialed people wear to display their press pass and identification). The lanyard had an opulent oval pin attached that boasted a sepia image of a woman circa 1940s, apron clad, proffering a pie. The phrases “Unconventional Women” and “Claim your slice” framed the lady of yesteryear. My reactions were as follows (note the time delineation/thought devolution): 1. Who doesn’t love swag?; 2. It’s pink; 3. Pink, really?

Awakening as a Hip-Hop Feminist

by juliacsmith

Last week DJ jojo drew my attention toward a post by Latoya Peterson called Before I Discovered Feminism. In it, Peterson recalls being 10 years old and “awakening as a hip-hop feminist”—years before she would claim those words—after being taunted by a boy brandishing the Snoop Dogg “Doggystyle” album cover.

Read the post; you’ll squirm with anger as you remember teenagers who hurt your feelings and, without knowing it, maybe pushed you toward becoming politicized. And you’ll feel triumphant sweet with the bitter, reminiscing about the music that has gotten you through the times when you’ve felt most misunderstood or disrespected. (For Peterson, a certain TLC song came to the rescue.)

What music was your refuge when you were a teenager?