feminist motivations . . . (these are from a talk I gave recently to college students)


don't do your boyfriend's (girlfriend's) homework. or write their papers. ever.

don't go out with anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself--even a little bit.

do spend time with people you love--and the people who love you.

don't ever have sex unless you really, truly want to. seriously.

it's okay to ask for pleasure! if the person you're intimate with doesn't or won't reciprocate, dump them. seriously.

don't spend a lot of time looking in the mirror. don't stress about how you look. you look great, believe me.

do love your body. I mean really love it. it's a fabulous, amazing machine--take good care of it, feed it well, use it well, love it.

get to know your body--what makes it happy, what gives it pleasure. boys know this already. but who tells girls its important to know this? I'm telling you now. you need to know how to make yourself happy before anyone else can do it.

don't ever criticize other women for how they look, dress, how much they weigh. criticism of women's appearance perpetuates devaluing women and reinforcing the wrong idea that women are primarily valued for how they look.

realize that everything is political. the personal, in particular, is political. each and every action we take is a kind of political moment. what you put or don't put into your vagina is political. think about this: if your husband beats the shit out of you they used to say "that's a domestic matter--between the husband and his wife."