International Women’s Day, held on March 8th, is a time for celebrating women’s achievements, promoting #FemaleExcellence, and reminding everyone that feminism is not a dirty word.
I’m all about that.
But you know what? Why confine it to one day a year? With that in mind, I’ve rounded up my favorite feminist content to empower you. (And yeah, there’s a good amount of queer ladies in here too.)
Kat Blaque: What Is Womanism?
You may have heard the term womanism, but do you know what it means or why some women, particularly women of color, favor it over feminism? Don’t worry, Kat’s here to explain.
The Bechdel Cast: Erin Brockovich with Alfred Molina
You’re probably familiar with The Bechdel Test. (If not, click here.)The Bechdel Cast takes one film per episode, assess whether it passes the Bechdel test, and discuss it in greater detail, taking into consideration how else the film might meet/ fall short of /surpass our wider understanding of feminism.
I recommend the Erin Brockovich episode because she’s a kickass woman and activist IRL.
Unladylike: How to Smash the Patriarchy
It’s no secret that I high-key love the ladies that host Unladylike, so it was hard for me to pick exactly which episode to recommend here, but nothing could be better on IWD than listening to Cristen and Caroline give you the low down on their book “Unladylike: A Field Guide to Smashing the Patriarchy & Claiming Your Space”.
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: Harriet Tubman, read by Tarana Burke
Did you know that March is also Women’s History Month? Therefore there’s no better time to remember badass women from history (except, of course, all the time) and one the greatest historical figures that I can think of is Harriet Tubman, who risked her life countless times to free hundreds of enslaved people.
As an added bonus, the narrator is Tarana Burke, one of the founders of the #Metoo movement.
Broad City: Witches
I often feel like Broad City is the most feminist sitcom on TV, but this episode really hits the female empowerment nail into the patriarchy coffin.
The girls begin the episode volunteering as Planned Parenthood escorts and taking on anti-choice protesters with weed smoke before Abbi meets a wise, older woman, who helps her embrace her inner power, and Ilana seeks out some much-needed help, after realizing she hasn’t had an orgasm since the 2016 election.
Stuff Mom Never Told You: Why the Notorious RBG is a BFD
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a hero for a great many of us, given that she spent her entire life fighting for women’s equality, and this episode – featuring Irin Carmon, co-author of Notorious RBG – unpacks how she became a legend.
Ethnically Ambiguous: We are Strong Women
This podcast, hosted by Shereen and Anna, unpacks what it’s like to be brown in America. These ladies discuss the topics that you don’t often see in Western media, with a heavy focus on what’s going on in the Middle East.
Queens: Boudica
I fully ascribe to the idea that well-behaved women never make history. To clear up any confusion, “well-behaved” is code for sat down and shut up while men did something stupid.
Queens Podcast is a fresh and funny look back at female rulers who made their own paths in history. Boudica, who the hosts’ term “the OTHER Queen-B”, has always had a special place in my heart because she was basically the last holdout against the Roman Invasion of Britain and she nearly forced the Roman army back across the English Channel with their tails between their legs.
Decoded: 4 Reasons School Dress Codes Are Sexist
This is for anyone who ever got told their skirt was too short. School dress codes are often rooted in sexism and Francesca lets us know why that happened and why it’s a big fucking deal.
Sylvia Path: The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar is the semi-autobiographical story of one woman’s mental illness in the 1950s as the protagonist struggles to fit into the rigid gender role that society prescribed her.
(I’ll admit that I totally estimated the timings for the book recommendations and it’ll probably take you a lot longer to get through them but bear with me on this.)
bell hooks: Feminism is for Everybody
This is the book that will explain feminism to people whose only knowledge of feminism comes from jokes on old sitcoms and tweets from Donald Trump. It’s the perfect entertaining primer for feminist theory, discussing how feminism should always be inclusive and how to apply it in practical terms to your life.
Thelma and Louise
These women are standing up for themselves and each other, even though a series of men keep trying to push them back down. It’s a film about female friendship against all odds, with an ending that will get you every time.
Roxanne Gay: Bad Feminist
Here Roxanne takes aim at our notions of the perfect feminist in a series of funny essays from her life, encourages us not to hold ourselves to impossible-to-meet standards, and assesses that it may not be so bad if we love catchy songs with messed up meanings.
Angela Y Davies: Women, Culture, and Politics
Angela’s collection of speeches and essays is centered of the huge shift that took place in the latter 20th century around conversations of sexism, racism, and economic equality. After reading it, you’ll see why she’s one of the most important feminist voice of the time.
Iron Jawed Angels
Women’s suffrage is a major turning point for gender equality in any country and this film tells you the story of the American women who fought for the right to vote. It’s a reminder that no one was given equality by asking politely.
(Also: Reminder to vote like a badass woman died for your right to.)
Daria: Arts ‘N Crass
Daria and Jane use their artwork to make a valid point about unrealistic beauty standards for women, but their school disapproves of the message and tells them to change it. When the girls refuse, the school alters it to give the exact opposite message, so the pair are forced to take matters into their own hands.
Gilmore Girls: Pilot
I’m a GG stan, I’ll admit it. It had its problems – many of them – but the overall premise of a woman working hard to make a great life for her and her daughter without help from her parents or the child’s father is solid.
In the pilot, we see these super feminist plot points:
- Strong, female friendships (Sookie/Lorelai, Rory/Lane, Rory/Lorelai)
- Lorelai sacrificing everything for Rory’s education
- Lorelai tells Rory that she cannot throw away her chance at a great school for a boy
Samantha Bee: Penis PSA
This should be compulsory viewing for every workplace. No arguments.
Well, that’s it from me, but let me know what content was your fave in the comments below.