Today over on The Guardian's "Women's Blog" there's an article titled "Young women are speaking up for themselves - and its time politicians took notice".
Kat Banyard, Feminista and evidence siting the swiftness in which the "Binders Full of Women" meme took off supports the view point in the article that, yes, young women certainly are speaking up for themselves... but I don't really think this is something new. Especially for women online.
While I appreciate I personally live in a bubble where everyone I know is very internet savvy, I don't feel like young women speaking up for themselves is new. And I certainly don't feel that there's one feminist who, until now, I've not heard of is to thank for this "movement". Are we back to trying to identify which wave of feminism we're in? How about just one big fuck-off tidal wave? That would surely do.
While I very much agree that politicians should start listening to young women, they really just need to start listening to people in general. The Obama camp has been online and trying to pull in votes from the social media savvy for years - yet it doesn't appear other politicians in the US or the UK have the same sort of understanding of the online world as they do. Can we imagine Ed Miliband's people creating a "This Chair is Taken" meme? William Hague responding to a "Texts from..." meme?
To be frank, these type of articles bore me to tears. Yes, young women are trying to make a difference online Yes, it would be nice of people took notice and listened. But this isn't a new thing. One feminist isn't to thank. And evidence of memes and views on YouTube videos isn't proof that women are just now starting to clear their throats and speak up.
Maybe I just have a hangover from the last week of feminist shitstorms, but I feel like those of us who have been blogging and marching and rallying against sexist bullshit for the last five years plus know damn well that women haven't been prepared to "put up and shut up" for a long damn time.
Image via msmornington's Flickr