FEMEN has now set up camp in Paris, France after their well-publicized stunt in support of Pussy Riot. The feminist featured in the piece linked above said that they were invited by French feminists, but Inna was also in physical danger after cutting down the Orthodox cross with a chainsaw. I've featured and discussed FEMEN's protest methods in a post long, long ago, but I think that now Pussy Riot has received international support, American women are increasingly aware of their disenfranchisement, and attention is also being directed at westernizing countries in the Middle East where women are starting to fight back, feminism has come back in a way that hasn't been popular for at least 2 decades.
I may be too early in saying this, but I sense a new wave of feminism surging. I can' quite put my finger on what is causing this sudden reawakening. It's almost as if the work of the original feminists has faded away enough to shake us out of complacency. We thought the work was done, but now we see that what we built has been chipped away with loopholes and conditional clauses. Pussy Riot has definitely been a beacon for the international struggle, but I see national heroes emerging among the ranks of women. They're standing out and women are paying attention to them. These heroes may have been here all along, but suddenly we hear them. We relate to what they're saying and we realize they're right. We're not done. We haven't closed the gap at home or abroad. All this excitement about women's rights and empowerment makes me think back to Slavenka Drakulić. Her honesty and visceral reactions tempered with deep, analytical thought, is what we need. She acknowledges and deconstructs reality with such precision that it almost feels like there is a way––and we already know it.
I'm excited for the change in the air. Let's get moving!
Contemporary Discussion of Eastern Europe In All Its Glory
