Goodbye, Feminist Blogs. Hello, Gen Z Content Creators?
Young women are more feminist than ever, as are big brands and Hollywood franchises. But what happened to the online community blogs and zines once offered?
By Emma Goldberg
“If you go back to the ’90s, there were zines where young women got together in rooms and talked things through,” said Susan Faludi, author of “Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women.” “Feminism needs the slow-cooker approach of building a movement over time, of figuring out what you really believe, of being willing to change your mind.”...
Jezebel, which tended to punch up at traditional women’s media like fashion magazines, stood out for its feverishly devoted readership and smart, rowdy writing. It was parodied on “30 Rock” as JoanOfSnark: “It’s this really cool feminist website,” said Liz Lemon, the protagonist played by Tina Fey. “Women talk about how far we’ve come and which celebrities have the worst beach bodies.”...
More young women identify as feminists than their baby boomer or Generation X counterparts. According to the Pew Research Center, 68 percent of women between 18 and 29 identify as feminists, compared with 58 percent of women between 30 and 49 and 57 percent of those between 50 and 64. But their thinking about the impact of feminist activism and political organizing can feel murkier...
Ms. Holmes recalled a meeting she had with Gawker executives about her vision for the blog. They urged her not to use “the F word” — meaning feminist — thinking it would scare away readers.
For the whole article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/17/business/feminism-gen-z.html