While the genders are more equal than ever before, festive feminism is still needed - Global Times

globaltimes.cn - As families come together for Spring Festival, women and feminists of all kinds have taken the chance to challenge traditional views that they say perpetuate gender inequality in Chinese society. I have not seen my cousin Lin for 10 years.

Every year, she misses the family reunion during Spring Festival. Ever since she got married, she has dropped off the family's radar, giving herself entirely to her husband and her in-laws. Only occasionally do I hear about her from others.

I last saw her at her wedding, when I was in middle school. There she vowed to be a good wife and daughter-in-law and to be devoted to her new family. As far as I can make out, she has followed her vows to the best of her ability.

Another cousin told me a couple of years ago that she went to visit Lin at her husband's house during Spring Festival. It's only about an hour away by car from our hometown, yet that distance seems too great to travel during the holidays.

When she arrived, Lin was washing vegetables in the sink. She knew they would have guests and was busy preparing a meal. Her in-laws were sitting on the sofa watching TV, and her husband was nowhere to be found.

Video: Madame Gandhi Talks About The Intersection Of Music And Feminism

laist.com - Madame Gandhi performs during Global Citizen's 'Show Up and Vote' concert at the World Market Center on October 25, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Global Citizen) Kiran Gandhi, otherwise known by her stage name Madame Gandhi, is a musician and activist. She lives in L.A., and first came to prominence as the drummer for M.I.A. In a new short film, she discusses how she approaches songwriting, how she advocates for feminism through songwriting, and choosing a wardrobe that prioritizes "self-expression" over beauty.

"My passions have always been the same since childhood. I've always loved music and I've always loved feminism," she says.

Gandhi still uses the same drum kit she received at 12 years old. In addition to her work with M.I.A., she has also produced her own music, releasing a five-song EP titled Voices in 2016. She discusses one track, "The Future is Female" in the film. "The lyrics are a direct commentary on the problems that I see today," she says, before quoting the song:

Proud Feminist Padma Lakshmi on Taking Her Daughter to the Women’s March

The examples we set for the next generation are so important—which is why we were heartened and inspired to read this story about actress, author and enthusiastic feminist Padma Lakshmi attending the Women's March on January 21 with her daughter, Krishna.  With examples like Lakshmi's, the next generation is even more likely to grow into the fierce, intelligent, compassionate, determined young women we already know them to be. 

yahoo.com - Padma Lakshmi doesn’t understand why so many women are loath to identify themselves as feminists.

“It’s a real problem. There was a trend among young women in the public eye to say: ‘Oh no, I believe in equal rights but I wouldn’t call myself a feminist,’” she says. “Feminism as a term got misaligned. Feminism just means: you believe in equal rights for everybody. It has nothing to do with body politics. I am a proud, flag-bearing feminist. You would have to be unhinged not to call yourself a feminist.”

As you might have noticed, Lakshmi has impressive knife skills, but she doesn’t mince words either. She’s the host of Bravo’s Top Chef and the author of the aromatic bible The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs. Lakshmi is also politically active, having campaigned for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. It’s what compelled her to take her daughter, Krishna, to the Women’s March in Washington.

“I’d never been to a protest. I thought it was important for us to go together. She was on the floor of the convention center with me when Hillary lost. It would give her some way to do something. We’d been discussing, ‘What does this mean?’” Lakshmi tells Yahoo Style of the election.

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Salma Hayek And Jessica Williams Get Heated On Feminism

vibe.com - What was meant to be a celebration of women filmmakers at the Sundance Festival turned into an unyielding debate on feminism in the face of Donald Trump’s divisive administration. Sponsored by Glamour and Girlgaze, the “Powered By Women” luncheon held days after the Women’s March on Washington did more than bring a host of influencers to one table. It ultimately ripped the guise of sisterhood to shreds, unearthing the distance women have yet to go to live in solidarity.

According to the Los Angeles Times, veteran actresses Salma Hayek and Shirley MacLaine offered their shared opinion that women shouldn’t reduce themselves to victims. “Find the democracy inside,” MacLaine told Jessica Williams, who alluded to the oppression of black, brown and queer communities.

Hayek chimed in to challenge the former Daily Show correspondent to “investigate” who she is beyond her race and womanhood. Williams, however, noted that it’s impossible for her to turn a blind eye to the inhumane legacy of white supremacy. “If you have to do that, then do that,” the Frida star retorted. “Then that’s your journey. But I want to inspire other people to know it’s a choice.”

To capitalize on the momentum of the Women's March, feminism must be much more inclusive

qz.com - America, as characterized by some of the first words Donald Trump spoke as president of the US, is a dark place of misery, ridden by poverty, crime, and lack of opportunity—a theater of “American carnage.” Yet Saturday (Jan. 21), in Washington, DC, and all around the country, America was quite the opposite: colorful, energetic, and determined. Women of all ages and ethnicities took to the streets to march, chant, and laugh. They came out by the thousands, hundreds of thousands, and millions, by bus, by train, and by plane; some even ran to the march. And they made it clear that they’re not going to quietly tolerate the new administration’s threats.

A large part of Saturday’s massive turnout was, surely, motivated by the election of Trump, a man who bragged about assaulting women, and ran a presidential campaign rife with sexism and general intolerance. But it also seemed to represent a new wave of feminism that’s been building for the past few years but has yet to find a suitable outlet.

The last large women’s protest in DC took place in 2004, when over a million people showed up to contest the curtailing of abortion rights. Despite the prominent role gender equality has claimed in the public discourse over the past few years, there has been little public celebration of it.

Rowan Blanchard Gets Real About Intersectional Activism After the Women’s March

teenvogue.com - The Women's March on Washington truly became a national, and international, movement, with hundreds of thousands of people marching across the United States and around the world in support of women's rights. In downtown Los Angeles alone, 750,000 people marched and one of those was actress and activist Rowan Blanchard, who took to the podium after marching to address the crowd. And though she regularly educates and informs her millions of followers on social media, there’s something about addressing almost a million faces IRL that would probably spook anyone just a little bit — but not Rowan. Although she began her speech by addressing the initial despair she felt after Donald Trump’s election win, she then eloquently explained why she won’t let fear impede her work as an activist in these next four years. “I believe in art,” Rowan told the crowd after reading a passage on hope from a Rebecca Solnit text, “but more than that, I believe in the ineffable power of community.” She went on to note that the strength of marginalized communities is what teaches us that organizing works: “If women, if queer people, if people of color have survived this long in a world that refuses to represent them, that must amount to a force much greater than one man with nothing more to invest in but his ego.” Make no mistake: Her speech is definitely a must-watch.

Race And Feminism: Women's March Recalls The Touchy History

npr.org - The streets of Washington looked vastly different the day after Donald J. Trump's inauguration than they did the day-of. Instead of the largely white crowds that lined Pennsylvania Avenue on Inauguration Day, people of all colors, classes and ages filled the streets for what's being called the most diverse march for women's rights ever. The Women's March On Washington drew tens of thousands to the nation's capital to press for protection of women's rights, including reproductive health care, LGBT issues and equal pay. "Sister marches" held concurrently in every state across the nation, (and in several cities abroad) added to the numbers and the diversity.

But all that diversity came with a cost: racial tension — not just around the march itself, but around the feminist movement, who leads it and why. Some bemoaned the discord as a distraction from the march, saying on this occasion, "we should all be women first."

Grace Hong is not surprised. A professor of Asian American and Gender Studies at UCLA, Hong says for decades, white women didn't have to consider any interests beyond their own because "historically, the category 'woman' has, implicitly, meant white women." The call to put womanhood above all else, Hong says, is based on the idea that "critique and dissent undermine a unity that's based on the lowest common denominator: Find the one thing everyone has in common."

8 important things Michelle Obama has done for feminism as first lady

home.bt.com - Seeing as Michelle Obama will no longer be FLOTUS from Friday onwards – we know, we’re not ready for it to happen either – we’ve been thinking a lot about how inspirational her time in the White House has been. Here are a 8 reasons Michelle Obama is our feminist idol.

1. Supporting women and their education has been a constant part of her time as first lady.

While her husband’s been doing his thang, Michelle has been creating her own legacy – including the “Let Girls Learn” initiative started in March 2015. The idea of it is to help educate the 62 million girls around the world who aren’t in school. And she wrote an essay for The Atlantic in 2016, when she talks about the initiative, which we can’t help but feel sums up why she is a feminist idol. Barack Obama GIF – Find & Share on GIPHY

“I see myself in these girls, I see my daughters in these girls, and I simply cannot walk away from them. And I plan to keep raising my voice on their behalf for the rest of my life. I plan to keep urging world leaders to invest in their potential and create societies that truly value them as human beings. I plan to keep reaching out to local leaders, families, and girls themselves to raise awareness about the power of sending girls to school.”

Happy that feminism is being talked about in film industry: Kalki Koechlin

indianexpress.com - Kalki Koechlin, who has always been vocal about women issues, is appreciative of the on-going discussion on feminism too. Kalki Koechlin, who has always been vocal about women issues, is appreciative of the on-going discussion on feminism too. Actor Kalki Koechlin feels it is great to have a conversation about equality in the industry, and says it is important to keep the discussion going. The actress also said that it doesn’t matter if the term ‘feminism’ is only being used since it is in fashion, as long as the discussion is on.

Also read | I fear getting complacent in showbiz: Kalki Koechlin

“It is great that it (feminism seeping into the industry) is coming in conversation. I think it is our job, and we need to keep that dialogue going and not just let it be a phase or fashion,” Kalki told IANS. The actress, who has films like Dev.D, Shaitan, Shanghai and Margarita with a Straw to her credit, added: “Feminism is definitely coming into forefront because the work force is with women. It is a new thing…There are a lot of questions around it but all these questions are great.”

Glamour Exclusive: President Obama On Feminism and The World He Wants to Leave His Daughters

The latest popular essay on feminism comes from the top: President Barack Obama on Thursday published an essay with Glamour discussing equality, why it's men's duty to fight sexism, setting an example and more.

"We need to keep changing the attitude that raises our girls to be demure and our boys to be assertive, that criticizes our daughters for speaking out and our sons for shedding a tear. We need to keep changing the attitude that punishes women for their sexuality and rewards men for theirs," he said in the 1,500-word essay, which will be published in Glamour's print edition in September and went live online Aug. 4, on Obama's birthday.

The essay echoed the sentiment Obama expressed at the United State of Women Summit in June, when he said "This is what a feminist looks like." He also discussed everything from real progress on equal pay and reproductive rights to less easily definable issues like gender roles and societal stereotypes about girls and women. He's also adamant that his role in the fight for gender is crucial for his daughters.

"And yes, it’s important that their dad is a feminist, because now that’s what they expect of all men."

He is absolutely correct about setting an example—and it's so important to see support for gender equality at the highest levels. We're thrilled to share this contribution from a leader, father, and feminist.

Click through to read the essay in its entirety.

glamour.com - There are a lot of tough aspects to being President. But there are some perks too. Meeting extraordinary people across the country. Holding an office where you get to make a difference in the life of our nation. Air Force One.

But perhaps the greatest unexpected gift of this job has been living above the store. For many years my life was consumed by long commutes­—from my home in Chicago to Springfield, Illinois, as a state senator, and then to Washington, D.C., as a United States senator. It’s often meant I had to work even harder to be the kind of husband and father I want to be.

But for the past seven and a half years, that commute has been reduced to 45 seconds—the time it takes to walk from my living room to the Oval Office. As a result, I’ve been able to spend a lot more time watching my daughters grow up into smart, funny, kind, wonderful young women.

That isn’t always easy, either—watching them prepare to leave the nest. But one thing that makes me optimistic for them is that this is an extraordinary time to be a woman. The progress we’ve made in the past 100 years, 50 years, and, yes, even the past eight years has made life significantly better for my daughters than it was for my grandmothers. And I say that not just as President but also as a feminist.

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President Obama at Women's Summit: This Is What a Feminist Looks Like

Feminists can be men too--and one feminist-in-chief is a leading example. During the first-ever United State of Women Summit, President Barack Obama reminded women that he's a feminist. With his record of supporting and discussing issues ranging from health care to wage equality, we certainly think he has a proven record!

time.com - President Obama stood firm in his feminism at the United State of Women Summit on June 14, a daylong convening hosted by the White House to tout the progress and the work that lay ahead for the American woman.

“I may be a little grayer than I was eight years ago, but this is what a feminist looks like,” President Obama said to cheers Tuesday afternoon. About 5,000 women descended upon the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., for the event, which featured speeches by Vice President Joe Biden, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and First Lady Michelle Obama.

The President said Tuesday he couldn’t be prouder of what his Administration has been able to accomplish for women and girls over the past seven and a half years. In his cheerful speech, he noted the work his administration has done to advance family-leave policies, women’s health care and access to STEM education. Some of the more recent policies addressing family leave and the minimum wage, however, were accomplished via executive action, limiting their scope to federal employees and federal contractors. Outside of government, the White House has often relied on partnerships with private businesses and companies to champion change. On Tuesday, the White House announced 28 companies signed on to their Equal Pay Pledge, agreeing to review their own practices when it comes to pay equity and hiring.

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Girl Crush: Rowan Blanchard and Cecile Richards

“Girl Meets World” star Rowan Blanchard and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards discussed feminism, social media, and more last month; in PAPER Magazine's “Girl Crush” series. It was an ideal match--a quickly rising television star and young progressive voice and a longtime advocate for women's reproductive rights--and Blanchard mentioned Richards as one of her role models, while Richards praised the use of social media among today's young women as a way to get stories out and help mobilize people. “Whether it was their own sexual health stories, their own things that have concerned them, the issues they’ve dealt with as a woman,” she says in the interview. “It can be a really democratizing force.”

The entire discussion is fascinating. Click through to read the entire interview.

papermag.com - In our 'Girl Crush' series, women with mutual admiration for one another get together for conversations that offer illuminating looks into what it's like to be a woman right now.

Back in August, Rowan Blanchard posted an impressively thoughtful essay to Instagram about the importance of intersectionality in feminism, catapulting the 14-year-old Disney Channel star of Girl Meets World into becoming a rising voice of her generation. Her poise, eloquence, and commitment to promoting equality and understanding are traits also shared by Cecile Richards. The president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America was recently in the spotlight for the way she intelligently and gracefully testified before Congress during a House hearing that included accusations and bullying from GOP lawmakers attempting to cut federal funding from the organization. A few months after these events, Richards and Blanchard got together to discuss why it's more important than ever that young women receive information about reproductive health, and why despite this fraught political landscape, there's a lot of reason for hope.

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NOW celebrates 50 years of grassroots feminism in 2016

After 50 years of advocating for women, the National Organization of Women has seen the dialogue on women's issues evolve from the front lines. We have made great strides—but there's still so much more to be done. Whether you're in-the-know about feminist theory or just starting your journey, NOW is a great resource to learn more about the issues or to get involved. This year the organization will celebrate its 50th anniversary at a gala and conference June 24 to 26 in Washington, D.C. Read below or click through for more details.

NOW - Washington, DC - The National Organization of Women ( NOW ), the iconic activist organization that promotes equal rights for women, will be celebrating its anniversary at the 50th Anniversary Gala and NOW Conference, June 24 to 26, 2016.

NOW's celebrations will recognize not only its history of cutting-edge activism on behalf of women, which include some of the most significant victories of the 20th century, but also the important work ahead as the organization pushes forward with its cutting-edge, intersectional and multi-agenda advocacy for the 21st century. As the largest feminist grassroots organization in the nation, with hundreds of thousands of members and activists and hundreds of chapters around the country, NOW conducts national awareness, grassroots organizing, and legal campaigns and lobbying to lead societal change for equality.

NOW was founded by feminist pioneers, including Betty Friedan and Pauli Murray, who saw the need for a civil rights organization specifically focused on women's rights. NOW led the charge in some of the first battles against sex discrimination in the courts and through attention-grabbing demonstrations and boycotts. It played key roles in the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act, the nomination of the first female Supreme Court justice, and the House passage and long fight for the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. It made front-page news with historic marches and mass demonstrations including a record-breaking 750,000 person March for Women's Lives in 1992.

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Too much good stuff: A list of lists for International Women's Day

There is way too much information about women—the dangers we still face, economic inequality, the huge strides women have made over the years, inspirational stories about everyday women, how to help the women in your life—to cover in one day or even during Women's History Month. It can seem overwhelming. Sometimes, an overview is just the thing needed to find your cause and join the fight. So for a small taste, here are a few lists you might want to peruse by news sources, nonprofits and amazing organizations that join us in our fight for gender equality. Prepare to be stunned, educated and inspired.

5 Ways to Celebrate International Women’s Day 2016

From joining the worldwide conversation to a call for justice to making a Pledge for Parity, The Nobel Women’s Initiative has ways you can celebrate and join in advocating for women right now.

16 Courageous Women Standing Up to Violence

An amazing collection of courageous women addressing violence and its underlying causes, and helping people heal.

5 women you've never heard of who changed the world

OK, so you might have heard of some of these women, but this list of women featured at the World Economic Forum will teach everyone a few new facts, including stories of a politician, an actress, and activists and trailblazers way ahead of their time.

14 Feminist Quotes For Women's History Month 2016

Bustle rounded up some wise words from Malala Yousafzai, Gloria Steinem, Beyoncé and other ladies you may recognize (as well as some voices who might be new to you!), so head over for some inspiration, and share your own favorite women-empowering words with us!

40 New Books for Women’s History Month

The insightful folks at A Mighty Girl have an amazing collection of books about girls and women for young readers--boys as well as girls. Picture books, chapter books, young adult, biographies are all featured. (Adults can probably learn a thing or two as well!)

International Women's Day 2016: 10 best feminist books

Looking for books written primarily for adults? The Independent has you covered with this list of feminist books, from classics to new books. Get reading!

11 Must-Read Biographies About Incredible Women

One more list of books. Because we can't ever get enough of women's stories. This list from The Huffington Post is as diverse as it is intriguing.

Can you name 5 women artists?

In the United States, only 5 percent of work on museum walls is by women. Can you even name five female artists? To highlight this inequity and promote women artists, the National Museum of Women in the Arts launched the social media campaign #5womenartists. If you're falling a little short or even if you're not, check out this article from The Getty profiling five talented women artists.

This is just a beginning—we haven't even covered injustices and violence women face worldwide, women's role in easing global challenges like climate change and hunger, how women's success in the boardroom translates to more powerful companies, and much more—but it's a start. Let us know what inspires you this International Women's Day, come back as we continue the conversation on investing in women, and keep fighting for gender parity!

5 Proven Reasons Feminism Is Great For Your Health

We all know that caring about women's rights is important—for everyone. Fighting for equality through advocating for women's rights ends up improving the lives of women as well as entire societies, and everyone wins. But did you know the feminist lifestyle is good for your health? Bustle.com covers five ways feminist habits and outlooks are correlated with physical and mental health. bustle.com - Feminism is awesome. It fights long-entrenched gender inequalities based on the really fundamental belief that women deserve the same economic, social and educational privileges as men. (Not that hard, really.) There are a lot of undeniable plus-sides to being a feminist, from standing up for your fellow women to being on the right side of history, but science is also finding that feminism and the equality it creates can have some serious health benefits, too. Quoting Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie can make us healthier? Sweet, let's get campaigning!

There are several relationships between feminist thinking and better health outcomes. One is that of consequences: better equality, for instance, leads to more wealth for women, which tends to lead to more access to healthcare, more educated decisions about childbearing, and other health-positive stuff. Another is a bit more direct: it seems that thinking like a feminist seems to have genuine positive psychological benefits for our mental health. And then there's the health benefit of having a medical system that takes women's pain seriously, which is definitely a feminist issue.

Here are five different ways in which being a feminist will boost your mental and physical health, from the more abstract to the tangible. A dose of feminism may keep the doctor away more effectively than any old apple.

Read the list here.

Emma Watson will take year-long break from acting to focus on feminism

Actress Emma Watson recently announced she is taking a break from acting to read, reach out to help others, and to learn more about herself and issues surrounding feminism and women's rights. One of our favorite things about Watson, after her obvious compassion and curiosity, is her willingness to keep learning and reevaluating her ideas. Getting to come along as someone honestly makes this intellectual journey and talks about it will allow so many others to make similar journeys--and learn more and help one another in the process.

Click through to learn more about Watson's interview for Paper magazine, ideas she's excited about, how she hopes to help others and more in this article from Daily Life.

dailylife.com.au - Emma Watson is taking a year-long hiatus from acting in order to focus on philanthropy and her "own personal development".

The 25 year old made her professional acting debut in the first Harry Potter film in 2001, but now she's ready to step out of the spotlight to focus on other endeavours that aren't related to the entertainment industry.

"I'm taking a year away from acting to focus on two things, really. My own personal development is one," she tells author bell hooks in an interview for Paper magazine.

"My own personal task is to read a book a week, and also to read a book a month as part of my book club. I'm doing a huge amount of reading and study just on my own.

"I almost thought about going and doing a year of gender studies, then I realised that I was learning so much by being on the ground and just speaking with people and doing my reading. That I was learning so much on my own. I actually wanted to keep on the path that I'm on. I'm reading a lot this year, and I want to do a lot of listening."

Read the rest here.

6 Reasons women support Justin Trudeau

From his push for greater diversity, to his advocacy for First Nations citizens, to his support of clean technologies; Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada has made waves and won supporters since before his election. So it should come as no surprise that the leader of the Liberal Party supports—and is supported by—women. Check out this article from SheKnows listing just a few of the reasons women support Justin Trudeau.

sheknows.com - Image: Chesnot/Getty Images

If you can say anything about Canada's new PM, he certainly has made an impression on women voters. A new survey of over 8,000 Quebecers proves this, as it found that women and young people (aged 18 – 24) were among the biggest fans of Justin Trudeau.

More: Trudeau's response to the question of gender-balance is perfect

The poll found that while 55 percent of Quebecers approved of Trudeau's work so far, that number was higher among women than men — with 58 percent of women reporting that they felt "satisfied" with what Trudeau has accomplished in his first 100 days in office.

And why is Trudeau popular with women? Because he's done the following things:

1. Trudeau is proud to call himself a feminist

I am a feminist. I’m proud to be a feminist. #upfordebate

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 21, 2015

Trudeau isn't afraid of the F-word, which no politician should be in 2016. He's called himself a feminist many times, crediting his mother for his feminist education: “My mom raised me to be a feminist," explained Trudeau this fall at an Up For Debate event. "My father raised me — he was a different generation — but he raised me to respect and defend everyone’s rights, and I deeply grounded my own identity in that, and I am proud to say that I am a feminist.”

Read the rest of the article here. Also check out the SheKnows slideshow introducing the 15 women appointed to Canada's new cabinet. We'll leave you with a video Trudeau posted to Twitter late last month, commemorating the 100-year anniversary of Manitoba women getting the right to vote:

100 years ago today, Manitoba women won the right to vote – the first victory for women’s suffrage in this country.https://t.co/HgCybKY3hX

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 28, 2016

Why We Need to Keep Talking About Feminism

Please enjoy an excerpt from Huffington Post, where Sheila Moeschen; senior editor for I AM THAT GIRL; writes on feminism, conversations, and how a book can make us nervous—or serve as an opening for a conversation that is still vital and ongoing.  

huffingtonpost.com - I had just been to one of the nearby bookstores where I had bought Gloria Steinem's recent memoir My Life On the Road and was looking forward to pausing over some coffee to dig in and read for a while. Now I felt supremely self-conscious about breaking it out in front of this person. Would he try to engage me in a debate on feminism? Would he take it as an invitation to assume I was a Hillary supporter and pontificate on the laundry list of reasons why Hillary was bad for the country and even worse for women? Would he get angry?

In the zillion years I spent as an undergrad and graduate student studying literature, a book has never made me nervous. But here I was weirdly worried. I felt very much what it means to be an educated white woman during a time in our country's history where the focus on women—on our bodies, our access to health care, our politics and our relationship with feminism—is like a powder keg rigged up to a hair trigger. Women are in a perpetual state of vigilance it seems, on guard against physical and verbal assault, crouched in a defensive pose in anticipation of backlash. No wonder women are confused and cagey about feminism. It's risky and messy. It's a lot of work. Isn't there an app for this?

Read the rest here, and follow Sheila Moeschen on Twitter.