Tag: feminism

Feminine vs. Feminism? Here’s Where I found I Stand …

Rachel Hamm Gertz

“You’re beautiful, babe” the message said. I realized I’d been smiling up until the second I read it. “Please don’t call me babe,” I muttered to the computer, hitting dismiss with conviction. These kinds of comments aren’t unfamiliar to a south Florida girl who tried to model a little and Read more

Rachel Hamm Gertz

Rachel Hamm Gertz is a self-taught writer working on her first novel. She has written semi-professionally for multiple venues and started the process of writing a "fictional biography" (which turned into the beforementioned novel) when the suggestion that she keep a diary was made by her therapist. She writes from an unfiltered voice, often filled with chaos, always from the heart. It is not always pretty, but it will be said. Unapologetically. In great detail. Maybe not like every woman, but their darkest sides. Nothing is off limits. Sometimes the truth hurts. Embrace it and the strength you gain is immeasurable.

Donald Trump, King of the Misogynists

John Michael Antonio

While it is tempting to say King Donald was foisted upon us by the media and the 24-hour news cycle, that’s not entirely correct. Even though it is true that at times the American media has been a willing participant and enabler in Trump’s cynical reality show masquerading as a presidential campaign, he is an American monster, which is to say he comes from America itself. He is the inheritor and one of the great 21st century propagators of multiple lines of venomous thinking concerning race and gender that have existed in the American intellectual soil since its inception as a nation. Over the past eight years—in that soil—there has been an especially bitter and angry crop of these kinds of ideas growing (think Tea Party), which are rooted in the past and ripe for the picking, waiting for any politician to harvest and use them. Trump is the proud harvester of all of these poisonous and malignant ideas, and he uses them as the basis of his campaign.

John Michael Antonio

John Michael Antonio is a freelance writer, photographer, poet and screenwriter. He claims his Midwestern roots while at the same time admitting his incurable and insatiable love and addiction for all things New York City. He has been the husband to his wife, the love of his life, for almost thirty years and is a father of three wonderful children. He is an unapologetic male feminist as well as a passionate lover of fashion, art, movies and music from all eras and genres. An endless dreamer, John Michael is also an avid historian, ex-punk rocker and a legendary Internet surfer who sleeps, on average, about four hours a day. His work has also been featured on The Good Men Project.

Latina Entrepreneurs: We are Ready to be Heard

Stephanie Ortez

You have probably seen them before: Latina professionals depicted as sexy vixens on TV, wearing miniskirts or tight dresses; the sassy secretary with a naive style; the nightmare boss’s wife. Although the Hispanic community has become the largest minority group in the US, Latinas, in particular, have to fight against stereotypes Read more

Stephanie Ortez

Stephanie is a highly caffeinated mother of two wonderful boys. She is hopelessly addicted to non-fiction books and literature that moves her to tears. She is an admissions advisor for George Washington University online where she assists homeschooled students internationally. Stephanie lives with Bipolar Disorder, PTSD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. She is a passionate mental health advocate, member of Stigma Fighters. Her writing has been featured on The Elephant Journal, The Mighty, The Organic Coffee Haphazardly and Feminine Collective.

The Gloria Steinham Rule

Dena Baris

My dad gave me a copy of Ms. Magazine during my early tweens somewhere around 10 to 12 years old, during 5th or 6th grade circa 1980-82.  Gloria Steinham became someone I read and eventually admired for her understanding of all women’s issues, not just the ones the media highlighted Read more

Dena Baris

Dena Barisano (pen name Baris) was born in Boston. She has a B.A. in English from Hofstra University and an M.A. in Communications from Suffolk University. After training to be a journalist and nonprofit work, she took a position toiling in public service, while writing fiction and poetry. She lives across the harbor from Logan Airport's infamous Runway 22L.

Why I am Afraid to Call Myself a Feminist

Drew Sheldon

I’m a feminist, but I’m growing shy about saying that. I have a lot of friends who are survivors of abuse and sexual trauma. I spend a lot of time advocating for and supporting them and others like them. Many of these survivors demonstrate very deep trust in me. Because Read more

Drew Sheldon

Drew Sheldon is a feminist, disabled veteran, PTSD sufferer, and adoring cat dad. He watched a lot of television in the 1980's and remembers most of it fondly. He blogs about his personal journey of discovery and improvement at www.swmseeks.wordpress.com.

Why I am a Feminist (and other men should be too)

John Michael Antonio

It was wintertime 1974 in Cincinnati, Ohio and I was 11 years old, holding my mom’s trembling hand as we were walking up and down the sidewalks of our neighborhood. Tears were in her eyes, born out of a fear of how she was going to feed her two youngest Read more

John Michael Antonio

John Michael Antonio is a freelance writer, photographer, poet and screenwriter. He claims his Midwestern roots while at the same time admitting his incurable and insatiable love and addiction for all things New York City. He has been the husband to his wife, the love of his life, for almost thirty years and is a father of three wonderful children. He is an unapologetic male feminist as well as a passionate lover of fashion, art, movies and music from all eras and genres. An endless dreamer, John Michael is also an avid historian, ex-punk rocker and a legendary Internet surfer who sleeps, on average, about four hours a day. His work has also been featured on The Good Men Project.

The Art of Being a Woman in a Man’s World

Julie Anderson

Sugar and spice and everything nice that’s what little girls are made of. Sunshine and rainbows and ribbons for hair bows that’s what little girls are made of. Tea parties, laces and baby doll faces that’s what little girls are made of. —Unknown Cinderella and a prince. Straight A’s and a Read more

Julie Anderson

Julie Anderson is the Creator and Publisher of Feminine Collective. Julie was inspired to create this safe place for women to share their secrets, desires, triumphs and pain as the antithesis of what mainstream media offers women today. In her column Pursuit of Perfection, she explores the importance of rectifying the balance of inner and outer beauty through essays, poems and articles on self-esteem, shame, family, and self- acceptance.

Mother. Feminist. Body.

Kimberly Johnson

Kimberly Johnson is a yogini nomad, bodyworker, doula, postpartum women’s health specialist, and single mom to a fiery 7-year-old, named Cecilia.  As soon as I ever heard the word “feminist,” I knew I was one. I have always been proud to call myself a feminist. I defend the term. It’s Read more

Kimberly Johnson

Kimberly Johnson is a Somatic Sex Coach, trained in Sexological Bodywork and Somatic Experiencing, specializing in birth injury and birth trauma. She created the groundbreaking course: Forging a Feminine Path: An Embodied Conversation of Spirituality and Sexuality.