secret: I need feminism because I like telling people what I think about stuff

It's hard to believe, but there are a lot of places in the world where a woman does not have a voice. I grew up with my voice splattered all over the place, and yet even here in this privledged point in time that I call my own, having a voice gets tricky sometimes.

I'm trying to figure out exactly how to speak up about things I believe without alienating anyone, and am sort of realising that it's not possible to keep everyone happy and unoffended, and that perhaps you have to break a few eggs to make a cake.

It's been an interesting month of thinking, reading and learning for me. After I wrote "We need feminism because ... " a while ago, I gradually found a whole online community of feminists who hold wildly varying opinions on a wide variety of current issues. So really the feminist world is just like any other. I keep up with all of them on Facebook and so I have an idea what the Radical feminists are concerned with, what the feminists in Australia are thinkin', what's happening in the UK (Gay marriage is legalised! Go the Queen!), and much more besides.

The beautiful thing I'm seeing (amongst the folk I follow) is the inclusiveness. I listened to the wonderful Courtney Martin's TED Talk on Feminism and had a good think about intersectionality, which may just be a way forward, if we must take a step away from calling it feminism to get those caught up in the semantics of the F word involved (must we?). I've read, giggled at and nearly finished "How to be a Woman" by Caitlin Moran (book review to follow), enjoying the conversational tone of writing by a woman who just wants a point out some truths of life, without too much drama and even that much controversy, simply from the matter of fact narration. I highly recommend buying a copy: we can have coffee after you've read it and share our enjoyment!

I also have fallen head over heels for Tina Fey after reading Bossypants (even though Kate J had told me a long time ago that it was funny, and in fact had read me some funny parts to illustrate her point). I love her so much I'll probably write about her soon, once I have watched a whole lot more SNL and also seen every clip of her ever on youtube.

I feel like maybe it's a great point in time for having these conversations, but after an assortment of experiences in the last month I'd probably observe that you may end up in discussion with a person of the male persuasion who may not like what you are saying, not exactly. Or you may find, very rewardingly, that your father and brother actually talked about feminist issues over dinner and you weren't even there to bring it up (proud sister & daughter right here).

The world expands. For me, it's reading articles like this one of Phaedra Starling's, which says more eloqently that I can exactly what I was getting at in my piece. Don't be put off by the title: it's a nice little piece which explains how to approach a pretty girl who doesn't know you, in public. We women don't hate you for trying, we just don't know you yet, and you could be anybody.

Or it's going the other way, into the world of Tavi Gevinson's Rookie. Such a beautiful, exciting and creative idea, and she's making people take notice. I myself am out of my mind thrilled to be seeing her speak on the weekend at Sydney Opera House. Heroine, that's for darned sure.

I haven't been terribly focused on specifically feminist issues this last month; I've been focused on myself, and I am a feminist, so it sort of works. I have done a few things, like my women-only July of musical discovery, and I've been reading a lot of stuff. I'm going to start putting a few bits and pieces out in bite size chunks, much akin to leaving cookies out for Santa. I hope you guys just leave crumbs, and not spat out bits of cookie.

day 07. a picture of someone/something that has had a big impact on you.

i think really for me, the biggest impacting factors in my life have been books and music.

so many great amazing examples, but i've been thinking carefully to track it back:

the first books i read that made me cry. i got so depressed in the 3rd one when robyn killed herself to save the others that i cried all weekend.

the realisation that someone can create something fictional that draws you in, makes you attached to the characters to the point where losing them is like losing real friends... that definitely had a big impact on me. they're hardly award-winning prose, but i loved them. they're also the first books i was told i wasn't allowed to read because i wasn't old enough yet. obviously i thought 'screw that' and read them anyway.

it made me want to write, to create characters that other people get attached to. i don't know how i would go killing people off, but it's something i really want to try, writing to capture my audience... that's why i want to write teen fiction. i want to move people the way i was moved by these books.

and OK computer is my musical 'big impact'.

i think i was 16. i bought this album in tamworth while mum and i were on a shopping trip.

i bought it because a boy i liked told me radiohead were his favourite band, and i wanted to know more about him by listening to music he liked. it was rainy and we drove back to kentucky and i put it on in the car and it blew my freekin mind.

listening to radiohead opened me up to all sorts of different music, because radiohead taught me that sometimes you have to persist with music, to let it grow on you, so you can hear all the parts, the hidden bits...

and that's the story behind that.

day 06. a favourite super hero and why.

i had a think about it and i guess it has to be batman. several reasons.

• he's just an ordinary guy with no superpowers, but lots of amazing gadgets, and the will to put himself out there, protect gotham from evil...
• he has a deep batman-style voice
• he's a romantic
• he has a good sense of humour, even if it only appears now and then
• they've had great picks for batmans in the movies... excepting michael keaton, but i'm sure he was hot in the 80s/90s, he's just not my type.

i also feel his costume is one of the best ones. i love superman but can never get my head around the concept that he just puts on his glasses and becomes clark kent. i like batman's mask, his cape and his symbol most of all.

however, while finding a batman pic on google, i found this, and i think she is probably my new favourite superhero: