Feminist resurgence

Introduction - 39, mother or 2, Nurse, member of NMP3 team since Jan this year

How did that happen?
I have I think always been feminist in my approach but to a point. I didn't identify as a feminist until about 3 years or so ago. I thought I assumed equality was fundamental but actually on reflection I can see that many of the things I didn't question and that I actually reinforced with my own use of language and my own behaviour were absolutely not feminist. eg. I need a man to come and do this job in my house

Then I read Caitlyn Moran and said it out loud in the bath "I am a feminist"

I started to read some bits on twitter

Not very long after that I saw the NMP3 petition and signed immediately

My Page 3 background
Working class household, page 3 at home
Linda on the wall
How that affected me - still appreciating that

Started following NMP3 of twitter and Facebook
Engaged in debates
Wrote a song
Organised demo's

Asked to Join
Lucy's burnout and appeal

Since Jan it's been a whirlwind bonkers ride of amazing experiences, stress and amazing ups coupled with a feeling of banging ones head repetitively on a wall

Support
HQ  - amazing people, strong combination of motivation, talent and support, has grown and grown and will continue to . Now trying to add more diversity as its been quite organics until now and we're aware that hasn't covered all the areas we should be covering.

Why
Sexism in media, objectification in mainstream media, out of context, child protection, body image issues etc

Criticism
Why just page 3
It is none feminist because we are taking a choice away form those who wish to be page 3 models

NMP3 not anti-glamour models as a whole, not anti-porn.

For myself though I will say one thing - ( I wrote this last week after a debate where once again I was questioned by a feminist supporting page 3 about how I as a feminist could reduce the choices of other women)

Feminism for me is essentially humanitarianism
Humanitarians do not suggest that all choices of all humans are right and valid and should be supported. Humans do some terrible things and make poor choices at least as much as they make good ones, they choose to hurt other humans in direct and indirect ways.

Feminism similarly doesn't suppose that all of the individual choices women make are right, valid or to be instantly upheld simply by virtue of the fact that they were made by a woman.
Feminism isn't about women fighting against men.
Feminism is the belief that women are human, just as human in fact as men.
Feminism is the belief that because of this it is a fundamental human right that women have equal rights, equal treatment and equal representation.
Feminism fights for those rights and representations and against unequal ones.

This fight often involves standing up to the actions of men but also at times standing up to those of other women who may be reinforcing the opposite message.

Objectification reduces the choices of all women by reinforcing a society which aims to keep women in their place, as décor, as sex objects and not as agents of their own lives for whom abilities, talents and hard work will be appreciated in the same way as it is for men. In a newspaper I would argue it drives that message home all the harder.