I’ve been thinking a lot about the recycling of feminist issues over time, at least partly because I’m kinda surprised at how disconnected from feminist herstory many young feminists I meet seem to be.
No doubt the counter to that is the near ubiquitous call of there being “no young feminists,” which I’ve certainly heard some older feminists say and which I find deeply patronising in a kind of “I’ll pat you on the head and decide if you’re a feminist, little girl” type way.
I think this two-way generation diss is a huge shame though. Older feminists miss out on the invigoration of old equality and equity issues being challenged in new ways. And younger feminists miss some of the backstory to things happening now, and some of the wonderful ways older feminists challenged sexism.
I think I’m going to write a few posts about this, because as I say, it’s been on my mind for a bit and I’m not sure the generation split serves anyone but those who benefit from sexism and the oppression of women.
For today, I want to share a cartoon from the 1985 “Women’s Studies: New Zealand Handbook,” which name drops Hand Mirror blogger Anne Else as a contributor – living proof of the connections between generations of feminists.
How the world deals with menstruation still an issue for feminists? Looks like it, if this picture someone sent me from Tumbler recently is anything to go by:
Love them both. But then I’m a second and a half waver, sitting firmly on that fence 🙂
LudditeJourno 