Has Gawker's Blog Jezebel Lost its Feminist Way?

When the head of the Gawker media empire, the genius Nick Denton, announced that he was creating a blog for women at Jezebel.com, I was excited. Jezebel promised an irreverent look at woman's magazines and serious advocacy of feminist issues. At the time, most women's magazines wrote about a world where everyone is skinny, on a diet, having multiple orgasms, and wearing $500 Louboutin stilettos.

In the beginning, Jezebel delivered. They poked fun at women's magazines, campaigned against air brushing in ads, and took on Jon Stewart for not hiring women staffers.

Lately, they have fallen down on the job. Exhibit A in my argument is that there are 994 entries on the blog for Kim Kardashian. Yet, there are only 3 entries for the entire slutwalk movement, which is fast becoming the focal point of the third wave of feminism all across the globe. The slutwalk revolution started when a Toronto cop suggested the best way to avoid rape was not to dress like a slut.

Jezebel's lack of comment on the movement is particularly disappointing because slutwalk seemed tailor made for Jezebel.com. Most of the participants in the movement are twenty something, the average age of their readership. Some older feminists have not embraced the movement because they do not approve of the use of the word slut.

Jezebel should have been leading the movement not ignoring it. The Philadelphia Inquirer, which can hardly be classified as a feminist rag, wrote 7 stories or blog posts about the local protest.

The slutwalk is not the only example of Jezebel editor in chief Jessica Coen dropping the ball. Lately, Jezebel has been posting articles like "How to do a 30s Style Moon Manicure" or Was Pippa Middleton's Butt Padded? Instead, they should have been loudly cheering DHS' decision to provide free birth control without a co-pay to woman and booing the detractors of the decision. It is a big deal that women, who typically make less than men, no longer have the fiscal responsibility for preventing pregnancy.

Jezebel should have been at their snarky best belittling Fox commentator Dana Perino for her recent remarks about the decision. Perino gave them a free lay up to sarcasm. She said, "If you can afford a $5 Frappucino at Starbucks, you can pay your $5 co-pay.” Glossing over the Frappuccino part, her comments were simply accurate. Co-pays for birth control are not typically $5. They can run as high as $70.

They should have gone into defcon mode to attack Bill O'Reilly for saying "Many women who get pregnant are blasted out of their minds when they have sex, they’re not going to use birth control anyways.” Someone needs to explain the birds and bees to O'Reilly because it is clear by these words that he does not understand how birth control works. If a woman is on the pill, IUD, etc, it would not matter if she was drunk because the protection is 24/7.

Jezebel was completely silent during the free birth control debate. Interestingly enough, it was Jon Stewart, previously attacked by Jezebel, who pointed out the absurdity of their remarks. Who really is the feminist?

The Sluts from Slutwalk

Last Saturday, 400 people marched in Philadelphia's slutwalk to protest the current meme of imputing the rape victim not the rapist. Toronto women organized the first slutwalk after Toronto Police Const. Michael Sanguinetti told a personal security class at York University that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized."

Toronto women quickly organized a slutwalk, a protest where they marched dresses as sluts, to protest his comments. The slutwalk movement has spread like wildfire. Slutwalks have been organized as far away as Mumbai, India.

Hannah Altman, a 21 year old college student, organized the Philadelphia slutwalk. The theme of the march was "blame the perp not the clothes." The 96 degree weather did not stop the enthusiastic crowd of women, men, gay, and transgenders from demonstrating. State Senator Daylin Leach was the only man to speak.

Speaker Aishah Simmons hammered home the point that "we do not blame someone who is dressed in an expensive clothes and gold chains for being mugged; we do not fault someone that has their laptop stolen because it was forgotten in a cafe.

Rape victim Kate Rush Cook told the audience, "When I was on the witness stand during my rape trial, I was asked where I bought my panties." Her rapist was acquitted and then arrested several years later for raping someone else.

Some of my favorite slogans along the parade route were:

If my outfit was an invitation, I would be an envelope.

Clothes do not equal consent

A dress is not a yes

I dress for myself

I am dressed this way not because I want your attention but because it is hot.

Many feminists would not support the walk because of the name. I am for any event where women work together to destigmatize rape.

Young twentysomethings put out their own to finance this protest. They had to pay for a city permit, stage, speakers etc. If you have a few extra dollars and want to see this event become an annual event, please contact slutwalkphiladelphia@gmail.com to send a check.