Lipstick Feminists

In the forces of resistance, certain young women stand out as the third main group. These are the “I’m not a feminist, but....” Or, “We’re feminists – but different. We wear lipstick and high heels!” Said one about my generation: “I do feel it’s time for those feminists to step aside....It’s like, we’re grateful for what you did, but it’s time for you to hand over. We’ve got a different world-view, and we might have something different to say.” [Source: “The New Feminists: Lipstick and Pageants,” by Gemma Soames, The Sunday Times, 21 December 2008.]

Hand over? Something different to say? Stupid people never yield up anything different to say about anything – and certainly not feminism.

There are brilliant young feminists out there. And this lipstick lot would be wise to find out who they are and ask for help – starting with a basic explanation of how the world works. And before doing that they should read my book, TALKING THE WALK, The Grassroots Language of Feminism © 2008. It will help them work up some intelligent dialogue.

This kind of incoherence about the multitude of issues that affect women individually – and how these are interwoven with everything else – is no longer acceptable. Whereas five years ago, I believed that women’s evolution would continue apace with its extraordinary achievements and self-development, I’ve recently scaled back my expectations.

But it is with the utmost urgency that things improve. We all have to step up. Now. We are all standing on common ground – planet earth – which could give way under our feet in an alarmingly short period of time. We all stand in the face of annihilating patriarchal behavior with its deadly propaganda about what life is and is not about. They are not wise and they are wrong. And they are not infallible, but have been allowed to get away with it. They’ve brought us to the brink and we have to bring ourselves back.

“The world’s been one big dick-swinging contest, and we’ve caught our collective glans in a nearby desk fan....Please, women, for all our sakes: just lock us in a room with some Lego or something. I’m sorry, but we’re just too bloody stupid to save the planet.”

Charlie Brooker, The Guardian, 2 June 2009

Now there’s a guy who does not suffer from pathological male-pleasing. And he’s right about the problem. But his “hands-off the future” cop out won’t cut it. Men have to evolve and so do underdeveloped women. We all have to turn on a dime and stop the destruction of the earth. And nobody gives a damn what shoes you’re wearing.

Next Posting:MOTHER EARTH POWER WORKS.