YesAllWomen: A Feminist Scrapbook Layout
rukristin: feminist scrapbooker
I'm having a hard time getting started with today's post about the #YesAllWomen hashtag, so I'm just going to lay it all out there. This is a topic near and dear to my heart. I have a degree in Women's & Gender Studies and women's issues have always been a big part of my life. This weekend I was filled with every emotion under the sun as I was reading through these awe-inspiring 140 character testimonials.
#YesAllWomen
If you haven't heard about the twitter hashtag making waves after this weekend's Isla Vista tragedy, you need to check it out ASAP.
#YesAllWomen is a backlash to the 'not all men' argument (and resulting meme). Put simply, even though #NotAllMen perpetrate violence and harassment against women #YesAllWomen have to live through the experience of being harassed because she is a woman.
Here is a good rundown of the who/what/where/when/why the #YesAllWomen hashtag exists (even if it is a bit of a mansplainer from Vox).
It may be the single most important thing to happen for Millennial feminists, and #YesAllWhiteWomen hashtag is a great reminder that intersectionality is always at play, and it's always important to apprise yourself to the experiences of others.
This is why the internet is important.
This is why we need to create safe spaces for ourselves and our stories.
OUR STORIES MATTER.
They matter to our sisters, they matter to our mothers, our daughters, our aunts, our friends, our lovers, and most of all -- they matter to us.
As women, just telling our story is an act of resistance. This is why we MUST do it.
Use scrapbooking and art journaling as a creative outlet to TELL YOUR STORY. Whether or not you share it with others is up to you, but take the time to document who you are and what you believe. It's more important than you know.
Just as these brave women took to twitter this weekend to tell their #YesAllWomen stories, I'm going to be taking to my crafting table this weekend and documenting my #YesAllWomen during the Awesome Ladies Project crafting night this Friday.
Further Reading:
Why It's So Hard for Men to See Misogyny by Amanda Hess
Yes All Women and Yes Me by Rachel Sklar
Yes All Women by Phil Plait (a great explanation geared towards men)
Your Princess is in Another Castle: Misogyny, Entitlement, and Nerds by Arthur Chu