Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2010

Peer Reviewed

1

Abstract

This paper examines what it means to identify as a feminist in Western society and whether one can be a feminist while not explicitly stating this aspect of identity. The paper seeks to answer the age-old question (albeit modified slightly,) if it looks like feminist website, and sounds like a feminist website, is it a feminist website? There is much discussion and disagreement over what it means to be a feminist, with different conclusions being drawn by first-, second-, and third-generation members of the movement. Jezebel does not purport to be a feminist website. There is no mention of feminism anyway on the blog’s masthead or advertising page; however, at times there have been heated discussions on the site as to acceptable behavior by the blog’s editors and what it means to be a member of this online community. Through examination of the past posts, website and literature on the subject, the author determines that it is not necessary for the site to state its affiliation to the feminist position. The site has become a feminist website due to the positions taken by its community members and editors on women’s issues and will remain so as long as the members of this online community choose to affiliate with both the site and identify with feminist values. Community member define the sites with which they choose to associate.

Keywords

Feminism; Feminist; Blogs; Online Communities; Websites

Comments

Previously submitted in Race, Gender, and Technology, Fall 2009

Creative Commons License


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Language

english

 

URL

http://ir.uiowa.edu/bsides/8