Mary Wollstonecraft (often spelled with a "W" in her last name) was an 18th-century English writer, philosopher, and advocate for women's rights. She is best known for her groundbreaking work, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," published in 1792. Wollstonecraft's ideas and writings laid the foundation for the modern feminist movement.

Here are some key points about Mary Wollstonecraft:

1. Early Life: Mary Wollstonecraft was born on April 27, 1759, in Spitalfields, London, England. She grew up in a financially unstable and abusive household, which had a profound impact on her life and feminist views.
2. Writing Career: Wollstonecraft pursued a career in writing and published several novels and essays. Her most famous work, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," argued for women's equality in education, society, and politics. She asserted that women's lack of education and social opportunities were responsible for their subjugation.
3. Influence: "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" was a groundbreaking and controversial work in its time, challenging prevailing notions of women's inferiority and advocating for women's education and independence. It had a significant influence on the early feminist movement and remains a foundational text in feminist literature.
4. Personal Life: Mary Wollstonecraft had a tumultuous personal life. She experienced failed relationships and two out-of-wedlock pregnancies, which were unconventional for her time. Her daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (later Mary Shelley), became famous as the author of "Frankenstein."
5. Marriage to William Godwin: In 1797, Mary Wollstonecraft married the philosopher William Godwin. Tragically, she died just days after giving birth to their daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, on September 10, 1797.
6. Legacy: Mary Wollstonecraft's ideas about women's rights, education, and independence continue to be influential and relevant. Her work laid the groundwork for subsequent generations of feminists, including the suffragettes of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
7. Posthumous Reputation: Wollstonecraft's personal life and relationships were often scrutinized and criticized by her contemporaries, which tarnished her reputation for some time. However, in the 19th century, her contributions to feminist philosophy and literature were reevaluated, and she is now celebrated as a pioneering figure in the history of feminism.
   
   

Mary Wollstonecraft's advocacy for women's rights and her eloquent writings continue to inspire feminists and social justice advocates today. She remains a prominent figure in the history of women's rights and gender equality.

​To pick up your own copy of her book, "A Vindication of the Rights of Women," visit the link below:

#marywollstonecraft #authors #philosphers #womensrights #feminism #books #maryshelley #frankenstein #femaleauthors #influencer #reading

Ladies, we are in serious danger. In June of 2022, SCOTUS voted to end Roe V. Wade, banning abortion at the federal level. The decision to keep abortion legal was left to the states. Nearly half of the states immediately took action, either partially banning abortion, or completely banning abortion (regardless if you've been raped or the victim of incest). 

SCOTUS isn't done yet in their genocide of women's rights. It is being reported that same-sex marriage, contraception, and interracial marriage are next to be eradicated. What's going to be talked about after that? A woman's right to vote?! Are they going to count 100% white male/female/cis/Protestant voters instead?
SCOTUS makes me seriously sick to my stomach. 

Shulamith Firestone is one of the most prolific radical feminists to ever set foot on this planet. Her contribution to feminism is absolutely iconic. If Shulamith Firestone were alive today, she would be furious at what the Republicans and SCOTUS have done. She would tweet that the Republicans are using their white/male/female/rich privilege to "parasitically feed on the emotional strength of women."
She would say that women will become even more oppressed now that Roe vs Wade has been overturned.

Firestone would quote her own groundbreaking book "The Dialectic of Sex," saying:
"Just as to ensure elimination of economic classes requires the revolt of the underclass (the proletariat) and, in a temporary dictatorship, their seizure of the means of production, so to assure the elimination of sexual classes requires the revolt of the underclass (women) and the seizure of control of reproduction: not only the full restoration to women of ownership of their own bodies, but also their [temporary] seizure of control of human fertility—the new population biology as well as all the social institutions of child-bearing and child-rearing. ... [T]he end goal of feminist revolution must be, unlike that of the first feminist movement, not just the elimination of male privilege but of the sex distinction itself: genital differences between human beings would no longer matter culturally."

She would tell the world:
"We can no longer justify the maintenance of a discriminatory sex class system on the grounds of its origin in Nature."
We cannot be used in order to meet a quota, we cannot be used to win an election, and we cannot allow a man to use our own emotions against us. Shulamith Firestone would tell feminists today that we need to fight louder and harder. We are fighting a massive war. She would remind us that "Power, however it has evolved, whatever its origins, will not be given up without a struggle." We cannot give up power to the enemy. We cannot settle for living in a patriarchal society, void of all women's rights.

Ladies, "feminists have to question not just all of Western culture, but the organization of culture itself, and further, even the very organization of nature. Many women give up in despair; if that's how deep it goes, they just don't want to know (about it)."

Does anything in the country make sense? Do you really want to submit to a man who sees you as less than he is? You are nothing but slaves to the right-wing agenda. You cannot let him do that to you, to your girlfriends, to your sisters, your mothers, your nieces, your daughters, etc. We deserve better. YOU deserve better. You don't deserve to be in a country that is 100% phallocentric. We need to turn things around. Read up on feminism, vote blue at the polls. RESIST the Aryan doctrine that the right-wingers preach. Spread the word!

Shout louder. We are in the fight of our lives. We need to make Shulamith and the rest of our feminist mothers proud!

October 2020: Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to succeed the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg as Supreme Court Justice. This is a lifetime appointment. Amy Coney Barrett brought with her a bag full of right-wing agendas, including overturning women's rights, overturning racial justice, overturning LGBTQIA+ rights, and overturning the Affordable Care Act. 

Women have fought so hard to make the progress that we've made, and in a very short time, all of that progress has been threatened.
Many are scared of losing their basic human rights. In fact, abortion will become federally illegal in this country as of this summer. It will be up to the states to decide. Right now, more than half of the states will be making abortion illegal. With it being a governor election year, many more states will join those who oppose abortion (I live in CT and there is a strong Republican contender opposite our current governor Ned Lamont. Everyone is currently sick of Lamont, so there is a good chance the Republican contender will win in November. This means, a long-time democratic state such as CT will make abortion illegal).
Outrage has permeated social media, and the sound is deafening. To make matters worse, the Supreme Court is looking to end gay marriage, limit voting, storm our bedrooms to make sure we are having heterosexual vanilla sex, and there is talk that the Supreme Court could make interracial marriage illegal. 

Andrea Dworkin was among the mothers of second wave radical feminism. Her works inspired many of today's feminists, including myself. Dworkin devoted her life to resisting male supremacy, and while Amy Coney Barrett is a woman, she follows a patriarchal rhetoric. Donald Trump chose Amy Coney Barrett because she is an easily manipulated mouthpiece who freely submits herself to men. 
"Sexism is the foundation on which all tyranny is built. Every social form of hierarchy and abuse is modeled on male-over-female domination." -Andrea Dworkin

Trump also chose her because she would help him raise more money for his 2020 campaign. He objectified this handmaiden in order to win some dick-measuring contest against now-President Biden. 
"Money speaks, but it speaks with a male voice." -Andrea Dworkin

When Trump was President, he fed the masses with false hope, saying that the pandemic was almost gone, and it was no longer a threat. He also fed these people with "fake news" about the Democrats, saying that we were "losers."
Andrea Dworkin would tell you: 
"The genius of any slave system is found in the dynamics which isolate slaves from each other, obscure the reality of the common condition, and make united rebellion against the oppressor inconceivable."
Trump isolated those who happily follow him, from those who don't follow him at all. He obscures the reality we have all faced in the last few years, and he claims that Biden is an oppressor. 

Andrea Dworkin would tell Americans:

• "It is a tragedy beyond the power of language to convey when, what has been imposed on women by force, becomes a standard of freedom for women; and all the women say it is so."
• "Male supremacy is fused into language, so that every sentence both heralds and affirms it."
• "Under patriarchy, every woman's son is her potential betrayer, and also the inevitable rapist or exploiter of another woman."
• "Women have been taught that, for us, the earth is flat, and if we venture out, we will fall off the edge. Some of us have ventured out, nevertheless, and so far we have not fallen off. It is my faith, my feminist faith, that we will not."
• "Truth is harder to bear than ignorance, and so ignorance is valued more-also because the status quo depends on it; but love depends on self-knowledge and self-knowledge depends on being able to bear the truth."
• "Men have constructed female sexuality, and in doing so, they have annihilated the chance for sexual intelligence in women. Sexual intelligence cannot live in the shallow, predestined sexuality men have counterfeited for women."
• "Feminism requires precisely what patriarchy destroyed in women: unimpeachable bravery in confronting male power."
• "Men are distinguished from women by their commitment to do violence rather to be victimized by it."
• "Feminism is a political practice of fighting male supremacy on behalf of women as a class."

Andrea Dworkin may have passed away in 2005, but her words are timeless. We need to heed her words and fight for our lives. Under the phallocentric tyranny the Supreme Court is making into law, we are not safe. We must "Resist" this tyranny. We shouldn't "comply" with the current government we have. We need to make a change, and that starts with standing up, and voting. 

#AndreaDworkin #feminism #feminist #radicalfeminism #liberal #womensrights #roevwade #LGBTrights #smashpatriarchy

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On this day 77 years ago, one of the most influential feminist icons was born. Angela Davis has been a leader in the women's movement, social justice, and politics. She was one of the first feminists I learned about in my women's studies course in 2008, and I fell in love with her passion. 

If you want to learn more, I highly recommend the following books:

• Angela Davis: An Autobiography
• Women, Race, and Class
• Women, Culture, and Politics
• Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement. 

Below are some quotes that I absolutely love:

This morning, I read a pretty repulsive editorial in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). It was written by Joseph Epstein, and published last Friday. 
Epstein started the article with: "Madame First Lady-Mrs. Biden-Jill-Kiddo."

• "Madame"
• "First Lady"
• "Mrs. Biden"
• "Jill"
• "Kiddo"

Where the fuck do I start here? Epstein has demeaned Dr. Jill Biden 5 times in his opening sentence. He patronized her as a woman, and put her in second class to President-Elect Joe Biden. Epstein's archaic values cannot comprehend that a woman can possibly be her own person, without being connected to a man. He became even more disrespectful when he calls her by her first name, like they are "buddies" or something. Following that is another favorite of mine: "kiddo." Listen, I'm 38. My grandfather occasionally calls me "kiddo," and I fucking hate it. It pretty much reduces me to nothing but a child. I can imagine it is just as insulting to Dr. Jill Biden when she sees the word "kiddo" in this asshat's editorial. 

Epstein goes on to offer a bit of advice: "Any chance you might drop the 'Dr' before your name? Dr. Jill Biden sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic." 
He went onto slam her degree and her dissertation. He said that a "wise man," probably his God Trump, once said that "no one should call HIMself Dr unless HE has delivered a child."

After that paragraph, he talked about how he has an HONORARY doctorate and was sometimes called "Dr Epstein" when he was a University teacher, and when he worked at the American Scholar. He then talked about how the Ph.D has become bastardized, and it seemed like anyone could get one for anything. Epstein, you received an honorary doctorate, one you did NOT work for. Jill Biden worked fervently for her degree. She earned her title. 
Just because she doesn't have a medical degree, it does NOT discredit her MD status. She teaches the next generation to be upstanding citizens, unlike Epstein, who can only watch as a WOMAN becomes more successful at life than he will ever be. 

Degrees are earned. I earned my Undergrad degree. I earned my certifications. I worked damn hard for all of it. Epstein didn't earn his honorary degree with hard work. More than likely, he gave a sizeable donation in order to earn his "doctorate." 

Jill Biden is a Doctor of Education. She may not have delivered a baby, but she teaches these babies when they are older. Doctors heal physical and mental ailments. Teachers instill a purpose in students' lives.

Mr. Epstein is a desperate Trump supporter, who is on the last leg of his life. He has nothing going on. He is a lonely and bitter old man. To demean a woman who hasn't done anything to you is just callous. Dr. Jill Biden may be the wife of our incoming President, but she is a strong woman who has her own life. She has her own identity. 
This is why we need feminism. Society does not want women to have an identity separate from a man. We are expected to do everything a man says we are supposed to do. When a male president is sworn in, the wives pause their careers and do the typical First Lady work. I love the fact that Dr. Jill Biden is challenging that stereotype.
​The Trumps and Epsteins of the world need to sit down and shut up. 

On Tuesday, the country of Scotland became the first country to make period products free to anyone that needs them. The country is hoping that offering these products will help end "period poverty." 

Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, proudly voted for this "groundbreaking legislation" that is an "important policy for women and girls."

In 2018, Scotland made history by providing free sanitary products to all schools, universities, and colleges via a government program. England and Wales enacted similar programs at schools in 2019. 

Scotland's legislation will also have a variety of period products available, and products can be delivered to a person if need be.

This law is so incredibly helpful to females. There are so many girls and women who have no means of support during their periods. Having these products will help improve the quality of life of females in Scotland. 
I have seen horror stories in other countries, where women have to stay home from jobs because they have no sanitary products. Girls end up missing a lot of school because they do not have sanitary products.

I hope this type of legislation is approved in more countries. Thank you, Scotland, for taking care of females! 

#Scotland #sanitaryproducts #tampons #maxipads #periods #menstration #womensrights #womenshealth

​The sexualization of art pieces continues. 
Artist Maggi Hambling has found herself the victim of online criticism after she created a statue for feminist icon Mary Wollstonecraft. The statue was unveiled on November 10th in London, and was immediately met with widespread criticism. 

Novelist Jojo Moyes said that it would have been better to "commemorate Mary Wollstonecraft with her clothes on." Many agreed with this sentiment. 

Hambling responded to the criticism, saying that people have "missed the point" of the statue. 
Hambling defended her work to the Evening Standard, saying: "You can’t be naked enough can you? The point is that she has to be naked because clothes define people. We all know that clothes are limiting and she is everywoman. As far as I know, she’s more or less the shape we’d all like to be."

She added that the statue isn't of Wollstonecraft. The statue is of "everywoman."
"She’s everywoman and clothes would have restricted her. Statues in historic costume look like they belong to history because of their clothes. It’s crucial that she is ‘now’. The whole sculpture is called ‘for Mary Wollstonecraft’ and that’s crucially important. It’s not an idea ‘of’ Mary Wollstonecraft naked… the sculpture is for now."

I feel that!

For those that do not know who Mary Wollstonecraft is, she is known as the "mother of feminism." She was a pioneer of human rights. Wollstonecraft published a book called "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" in 1792. It was the earliest published work that called for gender equality. 
The book inspired women suffragists 100 years later.

I love the meaning behind Hambling's statue, and it is so relevant today.
Clothes on this "Mary Wollstonecraft" statue would have confined her, especially if she were to be clothed in true 1700s attire. It would have kept her back in her time. She shouldn't be kept back there. She is relevant today, as we are still fighting for gender equality in this world. 

The statue represents pushing boundaries by being your true naked self. She is everywoman. We shouldn't be held back in a patriarchal society. We should be kicking down barriers! Mary Wollstonecraft was centuries ahead of her time when she wrote her book about gender equality. Such a thing was unheard of back then, and it's still a struggle today. We shouldn't be held back like women were in the 1700s. We need to make bold statements, push barriers, and be strong figures in this world. 

Maggi Hambling, I salute your symbolism! The statue is beautiful, strong, feminine, and bold. She is the shape I'd like to be!

An added thought:
Why does everyone continue to clutch their pearls at a nude female body? You don't see naked male statues getting the same criticism. Double standard much?

The female body is not shameful. It's a work of art. It's an expression of freedom and power. This is why we need feminism: because both men and women are afraid of strong femininity. The fear is just another part of the patriarchal curriculum. 

#MaryWollstonecraft #feminist #feminism #art #statue #MaggiHambling