I Call Myself A Feminist: The View from Twenty-Five Women Under Thirty

by Victoria Pepe

Overview

Is feminism still a dirty word? We asked twenty-five of the brightest, funniest, bravest young women what being a feminist in 2015 means to them.

We hear from Laura Bates (of the Everyday Sexism Project), Reni Eddo-Lodge (award-winning journalist and author), Yas Necati (an eighteen-year-old activist), Laura Pankhurst, great-great granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and an activist in her own right, comedian Sofie Hagen, engineer Naomi Mitchison and Louise O'Neill, author of the award-winning feminist Young Adult novel Only Ever Yours. Writing about a huge variety of subjects, we have Martha Mosse and Alice Stride on how they became feminists, Amy Annette addressing the body politic, Samira Shackle on having her eyes opened in a hostel for survivors of acid attacks in Islamabad, while Maysa Haque thinks about the way Islam has informed her feminism and Isabel Adomakoh Young insists that women don't have to be perfect. There are twelve other performers, politicians and writers who include Jade Anouka, Emily Benn, Abigail Matson-Phippard, Hajar J. Woodland and Jinan Younis.

Is the word feminist still to be shunned? Is feminism still thought of as anti-men rather than pro-human? Is this generation of feminists - outspoken, funny and focused - the best we've had for long while? Has the internet given them a voice and power previously unknown?

Rachel Holmes' most recent book is Eleanor Marx: A Life; Victoria Pepe is a literary scout; Amy Annette is a comedy producer currently working on festivals including Latitude; Alice Stride works for Women's Aid and Martha Mosse is a freelance producer and artist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780349006567
Publisher:	Little, Brown Book Group
Publication date:	11/05/2015
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	1,008,552
File size:	593 KB

Table of Contents

Introduction Amy Annette Martha Mosse Alice Stride xi

Good for a girl isn't good enough Hajar Wright 1

How could I not be? Laura Pankhurst 10

My journey to feminism Louise O'Neill 18

Hotspur: Superwoman Jade Anouka 24

Stand up and get involved Emily Benn 32

Why I am a feminist Sofie Hagen 42

Silent screamers Yas Necati 50

Manifesto for feminist intersectionality Jinan Younis 64

This is NOT a feminist rant: the language of silencing women Alice Stride 73

I call myself a feminist June Eric-Udorie 83

Talking about my generation Tania Shew 95

'Roti kamana': stories of survival Samira Shackle 104

I call myself a feminist with my elbows Amy Annette 115

A Typical Engineer Naomi Mitchison 130

Islam is my feminism and feminism is my Islam Maysa Haque 141

Staring at the ceiling: it's not always as simple as yes or no Abigail Matson-Phippard 152

For our children, for our mothers, for all still struggling: we must save the Human Rights Act Rosie Brighouse 166

Are you a stripper or a shaver?' Bertie Brandes 176

Connections are everything Laura Bates 184

The difficult, undateable dating columnist Caroline Kent 194

Women should get to be rubbish too Isabel Adomakoh Young 204

Goodbye to good girls Phoebe Hamilton-Jones 215

What's in a word? Martha Mosse 223

Why I call myself a feminist Meltem Avcil 231

What can men do to support feminism? Reni Eddo-Lodge 240

Biographies 253

Acknowledgements 263

Editorial Reviews

Full of spirit, candour and good sense . . . provocative in all kinds of ways—Telegraph

There are many chapters here that enlighten, cheer, or rightly anger. Some have real style and swagger . . . the best are often those that refract wider social questions through the prism of personal experience . . . I Call Myself a Feminist provides a lively and heartfelt introduction to many of the flash points of feminism, and manages to be both relatable and inspirational—Independent on Sunday

Refreshing and eye-opening and much-needed . . . I Call Myself a Feminist might be specifically targeted at younger women but readers of any age stand to learn a whole lot from this anthology—Katie Grant, Independent

It's a real joy to see young women taking up feminism in such positive ways—Herald

From the Publisher