I know it seems like some of us here in the bloggy-sphere are still a bit star struck after getting to hang out with Katie Couric last week. But something she asked while we were with her has been on my mind.
Katie, you see, is a blogging newbie. Yes, she has her CBS blog, but that’s a bit different from what many of us do out here.
So, she had loads of questions about why a group of professional, educated mothers would spend their time writing about their lives and their opinions on the web.
It’s a fair query. It’s not like we don’t have a few other things to do, like work, take care of our families and try to figure out how to stay on top of answering all those questions our children come up with at the most interesting times.
So after mulling her question over, especially after spending the rest of the weekend with some other incredible women, I realized this:
I have to write my blog.
I need a place to write about the things I feel strongly about. Things I wish there were more conversations about, especially among women. After having had a taste of getting paid to write about my views, I realized there is amazing power in putting those words out there.
I know this word gets used a lot, but it’s empowering to be able to do it and say it and take it without having to get permission from publishers and producers and editors.
This is a place where we can make our voices heard without anyone asking the question of whether our thoughts and political views are worthy of being made public.
On the opinion pages of newspapers, women make up less than 20% of opinion columnists. Political talk show guests are still mostly comprised of a bunch of white guys mulling over the week’s events. Using our blogs to talk about the issues that are important to us as women gets us closer to taking our place at the table.
Blogging is the new feminist act.
By writing about ourselves, our lives and our opinions on blogs that are becoming more widely read every day, we have taken the power that many of us have been waiting for others to give us. There is huge strength in that.
Don’t believe me? Over 36 million women are blogging today. That’s almost one-fourth of the women in the United States. Half of the bloggers in America are women.
Yeah, we’ve got blogs and we’re not afraid to use them.
So, there’s my answer. Maybe by using this forum to express ourselves, something will take hold and we’ll start to make inroads at the other places where we desperately need more double-XX-ers.
A girl can dream, can’t she?
Photo by PunditMom.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:27 am
OK, this is totally unrelated to this post, but did you see that Elizabeth Edwards endorsed Hillary’s health care plan?! I’m sure you did, but I wanted to share my excitement with a Hillary supporter.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Lauren, I did see that and posted about it the other day. It’s pretty interesting since they’re not endorsing anyone.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
And we’re chronicling women’s history in a way that has never been done before.
Of that, I’m immensely proud to be part of it all.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Women are half of bloggers, so let’s figure out how to have half of the blogging impact on public policy. Ideas?
April 9th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Why, indeed, should women (and men too) sit and write about their thoughts on day-to-day existence, mundane things often, sorrowful at times and yes, valid opinions we may hold about everything under the sun. Nothing wrong with that word “empowering” as just being able to use your voice, albeit via a blog that may or may not ever be read, probably never discovered for the wealth of materials our blogs hold. But still, it is a record for posterity, for our children, grandchildren, to know us better when we can no longer remember or speak for ourselves. It is a darned good feeling to be able to “converse” as it were, with others world-wide and learn more about one’s self in the process. And yes, it is also addictive but who cares about a minor triviality like that. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Sorry…meant to say that she plugged her plan on Good Morning America this morning. Not super “new” news, but a more public forum.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Great post. I always hate it when people make assumptions that all “mommy bloggers” write about is what they plan to cook for dinner or Junior’s latest word. Just because we are moms does not mean that we somehow checked our opinions at the birthing room door. Blog offer the perfect opportunity to voice our opinions and views and amazingly people read them!
April 9th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Hear, hear. I’m in a bit of a blogging funk these days and this lifted my spirits.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Love this. Blogging is a political act for me, but it is also very, very personal. But then, what do they say? The personal is political? Some days I miss the dialogue of the 70′s. Some days I realize that we’re now, with blogging, taking it the next step forward, only each in our own living rooms instead of all crowded together. Think of the incredible effort that went into publishing in the 70′s … and now, for better or worse, all we have to do is press “publish.”
April 9th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I totally agree with the comments about chronicling women’s history — I know Mamma has talked about that before. But isn’t that feminist, too? Not leaving it to someone else to tell our stories, but telling them ourselves??
April 10th, 2008 at 7:14 am
Yes, this is why I blog…also you can do it when it is convenient and you don’t have to pay a babysitter. Sometimes it helps to clarify your thought, dreams and keeps things in perspective.