Listen Up: Voices From the Next Feminist Generation

by Barbara Findlen

Exploring and revealing the lives of today's young feminists--the Third Wave--a collection of essays by thirty diverse members of the twenty-something generation covers a wide range of topics including racism, sex, identity, AIDS, revolution, and abortion.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Essays, Gender, Womens Studies, Gender Studies, Politics

264 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 1995

About the author

Barbara Findlen is the features editor for the Women’s Media Center. She’s been working as a journalist for more than 25 years, including 13 years at Ms. magazine, where she ultimately served as executive editor. She is the editor of the anthology Listen Up: Voices From the Next Feminist Generation and coauthor, with Kristen Golden, of Remarkable Women of the Twentieth Century: 100 Portraits of Achievement.

Reviews

[Tawnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was one of the best, most inclusive feminist anthologies i’ve come across! i have been feeling kind of isolated lately, because i have been feeling like every feminist/pro-woman thing i say gets challenged, debated, mocked, etc, even when i’m not looking for a debate. reading this book basically felt like getting a big bear-hug from a bunch of ladies who care about the same stuff as me; it came at a really perfect time, and helped me feel less alienated/alienating. the book features tons of different women, writing styles, and issues, with a particular emphasis near the second half (the first half of the book came out in 1995, the “expanded edition” came out in 2001) on black women. the book is 300 pages and has about 40 different short pieces written by different women, and of those i would only say that there were 3 or 4 that i couldn’t directly relate to. my only really complaint about this anthology is that i didn’t feel like there were a whole lot of LGBT issues discussed, except peripherally- maybe it is paranoia but i wonder if it’s because there was still a lot of squeamishness 10 years ago with women being worried about automatically being called “dykes”/”lesbos”/etc when “coming out” as feminists, and the anthology wanted to disprove that by barely discussing gay issues? but there are maybe 4 pieces that mention lesbianism/homosexuality very vaguely (like, having a gay parent, mentioning having a “partner” without discussing that aspect to their life), and literally zero pieces that mention trans* people, so the lack of visibility there is a bit of a bummer, but i guess the book came out 10 years ago (though, i mean… i can’t understand the lack of visibility because gender outlaw came out in 1995, so the lack of trans* voices in listen up does feel a bit intentional? hmm). i also wish there were a few pieces written by men as well, though i don’t mind that this book was all women! ultimately i would totally recommend this book- there is still a really great range of issues despite some of the obvious gaps.

[Miri · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing I liked about this book was just the sheer diversity of voices represented in it. The book covered intersections of race, sexual orientation, disability, mental health, class, and faith. I did think it lacked perspectives from trans women, atheist women, and women with depression or bipolar disorder, but what can ya do, it's just one book.

I did feel, though, that most of the essays in this book were poorly written/edited. They sort of rambled on and on and were incohesive and didn't flow very well. Other than the essays that covered intersections or that were written about a specific experience, such as sexual assault, incest, volunteering to protect abortion clinics, living with HIV/AIDS, and so on, the rest seemed sort of pointless and I wasn't sure what they were supposed to add to the collection. Many of them were just about growing up and not fitting in with other girls and not liking the same clothes they liked, which is undeniably a major life experience for many women, but how many such essays does one book really need?

In general, most of the essays seemed a bit like diary entries, and definitely emphasized the personal over the political, so to speak.

Finally, I was extremely disturbed by the essay called "Abortion, Vacuum Cleaners, and the Power Within," in which the author urged women not to get "clinical" abortions and instead use prayer, massages, herbal remedies, and talking to friends to induce abortion. I'm not even joking. Apparently she got lucky once and had a miscarriage after doing this, and now she advocates all women to do the same.

I sympathize with the fact that getting "clinical" abortions was unpleasant and scary for her, but the fact that it's an unpleasant medical procedure doesn't mean you should turn to alt-med bullshit. It's really, really dangerous to promote this kind of crap to women who are reading this book searching for guidance and support, and I'm really disappointed with the editor for publishing it. It makes me sad to think that women could end up with unwanted children, adverse side effects, or worse as a result of reading this.

Really irresponsible, really disappointing. Let's critique the medical establishment's treatment of women without leaving them with nothing but prayer and herbal tea to handle health problems.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading this collection rather leisurely since August. I'd read the chapters by Neidorf and Green for a class on gendered communication several years ago and picked up a used copy of the full book at the beginning of this school year. All in all, it's a nice collection; nothing totally knock-your-socks off worthy, but definitely a rounded mix of perspectives and stories. Some pieces I found more engaging and useful than others, but the book does a nice job of representing the diversity of contemporary feminist voices and outlooks while also showing the continuing struggles within the feminist movement.

[bunting · Rating 4 out of 5]

What might be most shocking about this books was that it was published 18 years ago, and that it is still incredibly relevant. Feminists are still struggling with the same issues (within society and within themselves).

A refreshing read, quick, and thought provoking. If you have been paying attention, nothing should shock you, but the conclusions of some of the authors are worthy of reading. If you haven't been paying attention, this book might be a great way to realize how fucked up the world is.

[S. Wigget · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is harder to put down than a Harry Potter novel! It's a collection of personal essays about feminism and how the authors became young feminists. It was originally published in the mid 1990s, but it doesn't feel dated.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not as good as Colonize This.

[Elizabeth]

from the library computer:
Table of Contents


Introduction xiii
Your Life As a Girl

Your Life As a Girl
3 (8)

Curtis Sittenfeld


``Everything about you is horrifying: your voice, body, hair, inability to be witty and panicky desires for approval and companionship.''


Chicks Goin' At It
11 (8)

Anastasia Higginbotham


``Was I a wannabe? A baby dyke? A lesbian chic groupie, flashing in the pan?''


Lusting for Freedom
19 (6)

Rebecca Walker


``By the time I was eighteen I was fluent in the language of sex and found myself in restaurants with men twice my age, drinking red wine and artfully playing Woman.''


Ruminations of a Feminist Fitness Instructor
25 (8)

Alisa L. Valdes


``The gym was one of the few places on earth that I felt I possessed an irrefutable degree of power. It hadn't occurred to me yet to analyze why so many brilliant, professional women were wasting so many hours every week hopping around in leotards.''


Don't Call Me a Survivor
33 (7)

Emilie Morgan


``There was a clock, a digital clock on the shelf by the table. Having the clock there was very important to me. It was my only reminder that the world was continuing as usual, despite what was happening to me.''


Bloodlove
40 (11)

Christine Doza


``This is what it means to be an intelligent girl? Listening to bands with female members and wearing a more natural shade of lipstick?''

Weaving an Identity Tapestry

Weaving an Identity Tapestry
51 (8)

Sonja D. Curry-Johnson


``As an educated, married, monogamous, feminist, Christian, African American mother, I suffer from an acute case of multiplicity.''


Two Jews, Three Opinions
59 (8)

Robin M. Neidorf


``It is a contradiction to see the strength of women within the traditions of the oldest patriarchy in the world.''


Beyond Bean Counting
67 (7)

JeeYeun Lee


``Women of color do not struggle in feminist movements simply to add cultural diversity.''


You're Not the Type
74 (10)

Laurel Gilbert


``Neither my brand of motherhood nor my sexual identity were ever presented as options to me.''


One Bad Hair Day Too Many, or The Hairstory of an Androgynous Young Feminist
84 (5)

Jennifer Reid Maxcy Myhre


``Some of us come to feminism because of abuse, harassment, eating disorders. I came to feminism because I hated shaving my legs.''


Ghosts and Goddesses
89 (14)

Bhargavi C. Mandava


``I gazed across the hotel room at my mother, who was sleeping peacefully. Who was this woman? What made her wait an entire day in the rain to be blessed by a dead saint?''

The Body Politic

The Body Politic
103 (9)

Abra Fortune Chernik


``Gaining weight and getting my head out of the toilet bowl was the most political act I ever committed.''


Abortion, Vacuum Cleaners and the Power Within
112 (6)

Inga Muscio


``The fight for human rights does not take place on some bureaucratic battleground. The real fight for human rights is inside each and every individual on this earth.''


Reality Check
118 (8)

Aisha Hakim-Dyce


``I had never thought that my underemployed status would lead me to seriously consider a stint that would require me to shake my breasts and gyrate my hips to the catcalls, whistles and sexually explicit suggestions of men.''


Why I Fight Back
126 (7)

Whitney Walker


``Why is a woman's right to control her body constantly threatened? Whether referring to reproductive rights or sexual violence, the answer is to take control back.''


It's a Big Fat Revolution
133 (9)

Nomy Lamm


``My body is fucking beautiful, and every time I look in the mirror and acknowledge that, I am contributing to the revolution.''


And So I Chose
142 (11)

Allison Crews


``After much prayer and divination, many tears and several horrible poems, I made a choice to bear a child.''

Woman Who Clears the Way

Woman Who Clears the Way
153 (12)

Lisa Tiger


``When I walked in the front door, I saw my mom and I knew. Two years after her beautiful twenty-two-year-old son walked out of the house for the last time, her daughter tested positive for HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS.''


Class Feminist
165 (8)

Erica Gilbert-Levin


``One of my (male) teachers suggested to me that the name `Feminist Alliance' sounded militant and conjured up images of shrieking women demanding that men do as they are told.''


On the Rag
173 (9)

Tiya Miles


``We had caused a ripple of interest and criticism among our fellow students, some of whom flung the terms `lesbian' and `angry' as intended slurs. And now, as we prepared to tell them where we stood and where they could go, we felt formindable.''


Imagine My Surprise
182 (6)

Ellen Neuborne


``It is a dangerous thing to assume that just because we were raised in a feminist era, we are safe. We are not. They are still after us.''


Knowledge Is Power
188 (9)

Maria Cristina Rangel


``It wasn't fair that welfare moms got to go to Smith College and idly pass their time studying such frivolities as literature and writing at the expense of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.''


Taking It to the Streets
197 (12)

Melissa Silverstein


``No one should have control over my body but me. For me, this was a clear-cut issue. They were wrong and I was right.''

Bringing Feminism a la Casa

Bringing Feminism a la Casa
209 (3)

Daisy Hernandez


``How do you go off to college, learn about feminism in English and then bring it back to a working-class community where women call their children in from the street at night in every language---except `standard' English?''


What Is Mine
212 (11)

Sharon Lennon


``I thought my mother personified everything I was fighting against, everything I was determined not to be, and I made her aware of that constantly.''


Tight Jeans and Chania Chorris
223 (6)

Sonia Shah


``I had already been away at college for a few years when my little sister unleashed her budding sexuality on my unsuspecting suburban Indian family.''


The Immaculate Conception
229 (10)

Amy Richards


``I am only beginning to realize the advantages I had because I was raised by a single mother. My family has always been a partnership between my mother and me.''


Better in the Bahamas? Not If You're a Feminist
239 (8)

Lisa Bowleg


``My protests were dismissed as militant feminist rantings, and I was transformed from fellow native to antagonistic outsider. It was official: I was now an American.''


Selling Out
247 (6)

Sarah McCarry


``Your revolution starts in your house. It started the day you noticed feminism wasn't such a bad word, the day you started working at a women's shelter, the day you started composting.''

Some Things You Keep With You

Some Things You Keep With You
253 (5)

Ellen Friedrichs


``I wish that these girls who dance with me and talk politics and poetry and school and family would dump the assholes, ignore the cheerleader aesthetic, understand that they can be smart and fun and cool and confident. But I know that they can't all do this right now.''


Betrayal Feminism
258 (7)

Veronica Chambers


``Like many black women before me, I learned the hard way that some people, including many white feminists, like having blacks at their meetings and social gatherings. Whether you were happy there, whether you were taken seriously there, was beside the point.''


Word Warrior
265 (7)

Jennifer DiMarco


``I reclaimed my power, my energy and my life with a passion. I wrote until I cried, until I laughed out loud. I wrote about dispelling pain, darkness, hate.''


One Resilient Baby
272 (9)

Cheryl Green


``At the age of twenty-four I have found some peace and a sense of full belonging, with the help of older women mentors who have connected with me across our differences.''


This Place Called Home
281 (7)

Taigi Smith


``To the untrained eye, we are simply women grooming ourselves on a Saturday afternoon, but beneath that facade, we are sisters seeking clarity and guidance from the extended family we've come to know and love.''


Isolated-Connected
288 (6)

Ariel Gore


``I wrote long narratives and tragic teenage poems. I shared impressions, itineraries, lies. In short, I become a writer. Isolated-connected. I became a writer.''

Contributors 294

[christine✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

After sitting on my (digital) bookshelf for over 5 years, I finally got around to reading this formative anthology of third wave feminism, and I can't believe I waited so long.

My relationship with feminism is deeply personal, starting my sophomore year of college, about the time I picked up Jessica Valenti's book Full Frontal Feminism. The third wavers told me that my contradictions didn't make me any less of a feminist, in fact, that my contradictions made me belong even more.

Reading Listen Up, I encountered many individual essays that challenged my worldview, that presented perspectives I'd never personally encountered. And yet, despite the 20 years between the original publication and my reading, these feminists are much less different from me than I thought. Many of them came to feminism the same way I did, as both a personal and an intellectual reframing of the world we live in. Even though we have different backgrounds and technically come from different generations, I'm struck by how many of these women struggle with contradictions in their lives and their feminisms, just the way I do.

Reading their stories made me sad at some points, hearing what many have gone through, the ways their lives have been formed by things outside their control. And yet, it's comforting, realizing that the generation that paved the way for my girlhood and my feminist awakening struggled with some of the same issues, wrestled the same conflicts, both external and internal. I understand that feminism–that of the 70s, the 90s, or today–is not perfect. While today's girls have the internet and social media, we cannot afford to ignore the wisdom of those who've gone before us.

As Amy Richards puts it, "my feminism had sprouted when I began to appreciate my mother for taking this giant leap into what was then the unknown." While the third wave feminists are not my mothers, I look to them as wise older sisters, and hope that in my own way, I can live up to their words.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A COLLECTION OF ESSAYS FROM YOUNG (Gen X) FEMINISTS

Editor Barbara Findlen wrote in the Introduction to this 1995 book, “My feminism wasn’t shaped by antiwar or civil rights activism; I was not a victim of the problem that had no name. Indeed, by the time I was discovering feminism, naming had become a principal occupation of feminists. Everywhere you looked feminists were naming things---things like sexual harassment, date rape, displaced homemakers and domestic violence---that used to be called, as Gloria Steinem pointed out, just life.

“In fact, born in 1964, I became a part of a massive, growing, vibrant feminist movement at the age of eleven---something that literally had not been possible for Gloria Steinem, Kate Millett, my older sisters, my mother, or any of my other feminist role models. While feminism has been around for as long as patriarchy, I came of age during one of those moments in history when the feminist movement was becoming so large, so vocal and so visible that it could reach into and change the life of an 11-year-old suburban girl. It was a time of unlimited possibilities for women---or that was my impression, anyway.” (Pg. xi)

She continues, “To me, feminism meant that women and men, girls and boys, were equal. Almost every woman has experienced the feeling of being mistreated, trivialized, kept out, put down, ignored, assaulted, laughed at or discriminated against because of her gender. To me, the existence of feminism---and a feminist movement---meant that the rage I felt was no longer impotent… The legacy of feminism for me was a sense of entitlement… the possibility of achieving redress… is self-perpetuating. The more justice you think you can achieve, the more you try to achieve… The point is that it’s the kind of experience ONLY a woman of this generation could have had. We are the first generation for whom feminism has been entwined in the fabric of our lives; it is natural that many of us are feminists.” (Pg. xii)

She explains, “This anthology is about the experiences of women of this generation in the United States. We have been shaped by the unique events and circumstances of our time: AIDS, the erosion of reproductive rights… the backlash against women… the skyrocketing divorce rate, the movement toward multiculturalism and greater global awareness, the emergence of the lesbian and gay rights movement, a greater overall awareness of sexuality---and the feminist movement itself… For the first time, there were significant numbers of girls and boys growing up in feminist families. But even those of us not lucky enough to be raised by feminists have found other avenues to discover and integrate feminism into our lives: women’s studies, a huge body of feminist fiction and nonfiction, community- and school-based activist groups, the occasional sitcom.” (Pg. xii-xiii)

She continues, “Generation X… whatever package you buy this age group in---one of the characteristics we’re known for is our disunity... Women’s EXPERIENCES of sexism have always been an important basis for political action. And our experiences of sexism are far from universal; they have always been affected by race, class, geographic location, disability, sexual identity, religion and just plain luck… So what appears to be a splintering in this generation often comes from an honest assessment of our differences as each of us defines her place and role in feminism.’ (Pg. xiii)

She notes, “The writers in this collection have done a lot of thinking about their identities as young feminists… Women in this book call themselves, among other things, articulate, white, middle-class college kid; wild and unruly; single mother; Asian bisexual; punk; politically astute active woman; middle-class black woman; young mother; slacker… well-adjusted; student; teacher; writer; an individual; a young lady…androgynous; lapsed Jew… lesbian daughter; zine writer… and an educated, married, monogamous, feminist, Christian; African-American mother. These identities all coexist (to varying degrees of comfort) with feminism.” (Pg. xiv)

She adds, “Young feminists are constantly told that we don’t exist. It’s a refrain heard from older feminists as well as in the popular media. ‘Young women don’t consider themselves feminists.’ Actually, a lot of us do. And many more of us have integrated feminist values into our lives, whether or not we choose to use the label ‘feminist.’ This is an important barometer of the impact of feminism, since feminism is a movement for social change---not an organization doing a membership drive.” (Pg. xiv)

She summarizes, “One thing that becomes clear in reading these essays is that there’s no singular ‘young feminist’ take on the world. But more to the point, there’s no one ‘feminist’ take on the world, and there never has been. And that’s one of the many ways in which there’s more common ground than differences between young feminists and older feminists… If there’s a troublesome legacy from the feminism that has come before, it’s the burden of high expectations---of both ourselves and the world.” (Pg. xv)

Veronica Chambers states in an essay, “Another major obstacle among feminists of my generation is how black women are still expected to fit white standards of beauty and how little white women acknowledge or understand this… It was with this feeling of disappointment and betrayal that I read Naomi Wolf’s ‘The Beauty Myth.’ Surely Wolf would address how the tyranny of the beauty myth had scarred so many women of color---not only black women, but Asian, Latina and American Indian women as well. She did not. And… neither the white press nor the black press called her on it… In a book full of figures and facts and well-documented research, Wolf committed a classic act of betrayal feminism.” (Pg. 26-27)

Lisa Bowleg says, “The radical feminist quest to eradicate patriarchy has astounding implications for transforming the society that we now dread into one that is better for all women, men, and children. However, feminists will not effect this transformation by insulating ourselves from nonfeminists… If we isolate ourselves from others who do not identify as feminists or who know nothing about our ideology, we lose significant opportunities to inform and educate.” (Pg. 51)

Nomy Lamm asserts, “Where’s the revolution? My body is f__king beautiful, and every time I look in the mirror and acknowledge that, I am contributing to the revolution.” (Pg. 90)

This book will be of keen interest to those studying younger women and feminism.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed the book, and I love that there were essays from so many different perspectives, whether it was race (especially the Native American and Asian representation), disability, sexuality, motherhood, etc. I was disappointed that there was no essay from a transgender woman (or man), especially because there was one essay called "Your Life as a Girl" written by someone named Curtis that really seemed like it was going that route, but then I realize it was just a woman complaining about kids making fun of her for being a tomboy? ....Fascinating.

However, I don't think I learned that much new information that would change my perspective on feminism. Maybe that's because this book was released in the 90s and then again in the early 2000s, but still. Sadly a lot of what the women talked about hasn't changed, and in the case of abortion rights it's changed for the worse.

I was disappointed that every essay that wasn't based on a specific story or event in the author's life seemed to be the same. My favorite essays were mostly the ones that centered around family, especially the mother-daughter relationships. The essays in the first section of the book mostly went over my head since they were full of flowery language and vague proclamations. I much preferred the essays about specific stories.

Overall, a good and interesting read but I think it would be better for women who recently "converted" to feminism, as opposed to knowledgeable feminists.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this compilation OK, but it's certainly not my favorite feminist lit.

The good: The essays are a good length and easy to read -- since they're penned by "average" girls, they're not too highbrow or difficult to swallow.

The bad: A lot of the information and references made are outdated and clearly reference the '90s. I feel like some arguments the authors put forth are almost nonexistent today, which made accepting their views a little difficult. Also, I found some of the authors to be too self-important -- particularly the essay written by a bisexual woman, in which she described her journey to bisexuality. She seemed a bit too hostile toward straight people who tried to be supportive of her sexuality, and as a straight person who supports LGBT rights, I was a bit offended by her stereotyping.

However, the book does contain some moving stories of self-discovery and wommonhood and the tough choices womyn make, and I finished the work with a better sense of where I fit in. I definitely recommend it to any young feminist/womanist who feels out of place in a sphere still dominated by lit from the '60s and '70s.

[Sarah Balz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say this is the best book, but when I read it, it meant a lot to me. And, I also saw Barbara Findlen speak at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. My sister went with me. I was in college and she was still in high school. It's probably the entire experience that makes me love the book, more than the actual book itself.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

not all the entries in it were totally solid or written well but the message that each entry gives is powerful and comes across really well. some of the stories made me cry, some laugh, some i left feeling upset. it's good for those who are looking for the broad variety of feminist out there.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 3 out of 5]

excellent anthology covering a wide range of issues. With authors from various (sub)cultures, ethnicities, economic backgrounds, and sexuality. check it out, even though the next generation is probably already here.

[Amy D.P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few books that could be considered "Third Wave Feminism" that actually has something important to say. The short vignettes make this book an easy "pick up and read a few pages when you want to" type of book.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A colleciton of essays from many different women who are part of the Third Wave of feminism. The book covers a huge range of ideas and the women are from hugely different backgrounds speaking on a wide range of issues which makes it a really interesting read.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in high school and it totally changed my life. After reading Listen Up I felt empowered to read, write, and express my self and opinions. I recommend this to every one. A great gift for a young woman.

[HeavyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a 2nd edition of this book out now. I haven't read that one.

I remember liking this edition a lot when I read it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I like reading many different people's perspectives.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A So awesome for a young feminist to read!

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

changed my life.

[Jennifer Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great personal essays on third wave feminism.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with essays from the 3rd wave of feminism.
A must-read for young women who missed the first round.

[Carrie]

books I've read,essays

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich and variegated quilt of personal essays. Required reading for feminists, women, and those who love them.

[jennifer]

i just got another copy of the first edition. i remember photocopying the nomy lamm to hand out at 'no diet day' and reading the one riot grrrl essay so many times.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essays from third-wave feminists. This one's especially important to me because it was my first feminist read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

AH. MAZ.ING. Intelligent, moving, & thoughtful essays from a variety of perspectives within & about the 3rd wave of the feminist movement. Love, love, love!!

[Bethrt]

LOVED this book!

[Alaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and inclusive. Every young feminist should read.