The University of Idaho Argonaut

For the last 15 years, Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner have been prominent voices for the women’s movement, both collectively as well as individually.

They’ve co-authored two books and co-founded “Soapbox Inc: Speakers Who Speak Out,” a feminist speakers’ bureau representing feminist writers and activists such as Irshad Manji, Gloria Steinem and Rosalind Wiseman.

Their credentials are impressive, with their work having been featured anywhere from Harper’s and Glamour magazine to Oprah.

Richards and Baumgardner visited the University of Idaho after having been invited by Lysa Salsbury of the Women’s Center to be the featured keynote speakers at the Virginia Woolf Distinguished Service awards on Wednesday. In addition, the authors gave a special lecture titled “Bra-less Banshees vs. Brainless Barbies” Tuesday evening, visited some Core classes and were featured at the Society of Professional Journalists’ Fireside Chat.

Their crammed itinerary made this week Idaho’s best feminist week ever … or at least of the semester.

I say this not because of their stardom but because their visit brought visibility to feminism and showed the feminist movement is not something of the past, nor is it something we as young people should shy away from.

What their appearances did was get students — men and women alike — to start thinking about and discussing women’s issues.

In their lecture Tuesday, Richards and Baumgardner said as third-wave feminists, we get to take advantage of what the other movements fought for, but we have to keep the movement going forward. Pointing out the inequalities we still see is not enough — we need to bring about change.

“Today, there’s a general recognition that women and all people have the right to move anywhere in society,” Baumgardner said, making today’s movement an invitation for anyone to be themselves and to pursue dreams.

Making themselves and the feminist movement visible probably also helped break down some stereotype images of feminist activists anyone may have had. Richards and Baumgardner — tall, lean, blonde and pregnant — are nothing like the unfounded stereotypes of feminist activists. Funny, well spoken and intelligent, the women focused on making feminism accessible.

My favorite comment during the question and answer session Tuesday came from a sorority member who thanked the women for reaffirming she can be a mini-skirt-wearing, feminine feminist.
The authors dismissed the notion of having to dress the part or conform to a vegan diet to be a feminist.

They said they are often asked the “Can I be a feminist if…?” question, and the authors pointed out that unlike some second-wave ideology, feminism today is vastly diverse and inclusive.

Feminism, by definition, is the belief women should have the same political, social, sexual, intellectual and economic rights as men have. And while you individually might disagree on some specific goals or point of views of some feminists, I think as far as political, social, sexual, intellectual and economic equality goes, we can all agree.