Feminism in the 21st Century: A 16-year-old with a Mission
Posted on Thursday, August 20th, 2009 and is filed under Political & General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
by Shantavia Inabinet
Julie Zeilinger is a 16-year-old on a mission. Instead of accepting the status quo, Julie voices her concerns about gender issues and inequality with her online blog entitled, “FBomb,” Insightful yet witty with a splash of sarcasm.
The blog best describes Julie’s take on women representation in the media, pop culture and politics. Her blog encourages feedback and is filled with You Tube videos that depict sexist content and with blog post such as ” The Axe Effect” and “The REAL Ugly Truth.” Julie is truly living up to the famous Mohandas Gandhi quote; “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
I had the pleasure of chatting with Julie to find out more about the 16-year-old feminist.
S. Inabinet: Who is your favorite feminist?
Julie: This is a hard question to answer. There are many women who I consider my favorite feminist. However, if I had to choose one as being the most influential in my life, it would have to be Gloria Steinem. She was the first feminist I was exposed to. Gloria is a favorite of my parents; I started to read books she authored that belonged to my parents. Gloria Steinem was my first introduction to feminism.
S. Inabinet: What would you like to see differently in U.S. society in regards to women’s rights?
Julie: There are so many things. I think one of the biggest issues–I’m really concerned about how women are perceived in the media. I feel that my generation has to deal with a lot of issues pertaining to body image. So many teen girls are developing eating disorders, trying to live up to what the media considers beautiful. The right to choose battle is another issue that I will like to see settled. Women should have the right to choose; the government should not take it away. I also would like to see more women in leadership roles. We had a lot of luck recently with Sonia Sotomayor [nominated by President Obama for the U.S. Supreme Court].
S. Inabinet: You partially answered this question in the previous question. What is “grinding your gears” in the media right now? What makes you want to throw a brick at your television?
Julie: The media ranting and calling Sonia Sotomayor a racist based on a comment she made about her diverse background. Her comment, “I would hope that a wise white male with the richness of his experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a Latina woman who has lived that life,” has been blown out of context.
S. Inabinet: Have you personally experienced sexism?
Julie: I have been fortunate enough not to experience sexism. I must say that in school I hear sexist remarks often. Guys at school make comments like, “Girls can’t play sports as well as guys” or “Guys are better leaders.” It’s sickening.
S. Inabinet: What would you like to say to your critics who think you’re just an angry young lady?
Julie: Am I angry? Yes I am. My anger is justifiable. Clearly, there are a lot of injustices towards women in our society. Am I supposed to be happy or jump for joy when I hear or see something that is sexist?
S. Inabinet: What are your career goals?
Julie: Well, first I have to go to college, so I’m really looking for a school with a women’s study program. After school, I’ll probably pursue feminist writing further.
Visit her blog here: http://thefbomb.org/
