Although the feminism movement has overcome barriers through the years, the work of feminists is not done, said Miriam Perez, editor of Feministing.com.

‘Feminism has changed the world we live in,’ Perez said. ‘This success is why we need to ask the question again. The feminist project has changed, the identity has changed, and the agenda has changed. This needs to be addressed.’

Perez was one of three speakers Medusa Magazine brought in Tuesday night in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium. Vanessa Valenti, co-founder and an editor at Feministing.com, and Melissa Perez, a junior at Syracuse University majoring in women’s and gender studies, were also on the panel.

Valenti spoke about blogging and the ways it has revolutionized the movement. The mission of Feministing.com is to create a space for feminists to think critically and celebrate feminist activism, Valenti said.

‘Blogging can mobilize thousands by one take-action post,’ Valenti said.

Feministing.com, which began in April 2004 to create a platform where people can comment and influence young feminists, has had some success with mobilizing people through posts, Valenti said. Wal-Mart carried underwear in the junior department that said, ‘Who needs a credit card.’ A blogger posted about the outrage on Feministing.com with a link to the company. Soon after, the product was taken down, Valenti said.

The feminist project needs to move forward, Miriam said. Feminism has to address gender so people do not think it is restricting, she said.

‘No one should be limited by their gender identity in regard to the ways they are treated,’ Miriam said. ‘This is not a woman’s issue in that regard because men can be limited, too.’

The bloggers find visiting colleges valuable because the readers are the driving sources of the site, Valenti said.

‘People have told me that it is the first feminist community they have found,’ Valenti said.

Samantha Lifson, editor in chief of Medusa Magazine, said she always wanted to bring Feministing.com to campus because it gives a voice to younger feminists. Melissa Perez, a junior at SU, was chosen to be the panelist member because she is a smart and knowledgeable activist on campus, Lifson said.

Melissa addresses her feminism in three ways. Feminist intervention is asserting oneself to say ‘no’ when someone is excluding someone else based on an identity, she said. Feminist smackdown is blogging or putting one’s foot down in a classroom, she said. Feminist meltdown is realizing how feminism fits within one’s life and one’s identity, Melissa said.

Depending on the definition, one could say feminism is everywhere, she said. But on the SU campus, there are few protests and a lack of a cohesive movement.

‘In order to have an impact,’ she said, ‘we must do it together.’

hmbehre@syr.edu

Published on March 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm