View

Rachel Fudge

Who I am:

I haven't gotten around to disclosing that information.

What I'm reading:

I'll share when I have a second.

What I'm listening to:

A whole mess of stuff.

What I'm watching:

I'll tell you later, I promise!

What blogs I like:

Let me think about it.

Shelf Lives

Paging Through Feminism’s Lost & Found Classics

Article by Jyoti Roy, Andi Zeisler, Rachel Fudge, Jennifer Baumgardner, Noah Berlatsky, Evelyn Sharenov, appeared in issue Lost & Found; published in 2008; filed under Books; tagged early black feminists, feminist fiction, feminist history, marriage, sci-fi, Valerie Solanas.

In the 1976 cross-country race film The Gumball Rally, the late, great Raul Julia rips off his rearview mirror and tosses it over his shoulder, saying “What’s behind me is not important.”  

He didn’t win the race.  

Read

2 comments

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Feminism But Were Afraid to Ask

Article by Rachel Fudge, appeared in issue Anniversary; published in 2005; filed under Social commentary; tagged anti-porn, ERA, feminazi, NOW, pro-sex, radical feminism, riot grrrl, second wave, third wave, womanism.

It’s a natural, normal part of life. But people hesitate to talk openly about their needs, their desires, and their concerns because they are so fearful of what others might think. But we all have urges, and we all have questions, and the more we can talk about them, the happier and more fulfilled we all will be. It should be a joyful, tender, and esteem-building part of life, not a source of confusion or shame. Yet it’s hard to get a handle on it, because although there’s a lot of information out there, much of it is judgmental, misinformed, or quite simply false.

Read

16 comments

Kiss Me, I'm a Fashionable Bigot

Cashing In on Misguided Irony

Article by Rachel Fudge, Illustrated by Danforth France, appeared in issue Fake; published in 2004; filed under Social commentary; tagged advertising, pc, politically correct, politically incorrect, race, stereotypes.

Two years ago, the preppy mall staple Abercrombie & Fitch released a line of t-shirts that paired early 1900s–style caricatures of Chinese men (complete with coolie hats, big grins, and slanted eyes) with slogans like “Wong Brothers Laundry Service—Two Wongs Can Make It White” and “Wok-N-Bowl—Let the Good Times Roll—Chinese Food & Bowling.” The clothing chain then professed great surprise when Asian-American activists cried foul; A&F’s pr flack Hampton Carney told the San Francisco Chronicle, “We personally thought Asians would love this t-shirt.... We are truly and deeply sorry we’ve offended people.” As a result of continued protests, the shirts were eventually pulled from stores (and quickly became hot commodities on Ebay).

Read

2 comments

Grrrl, You'll Be a Lady Soon

Article by Rachel Fudge, appeared in issue Music; published in 2001; filed under Social commentary; tagged grrl, grrrl, lady, reclaiming, riot grrrl, second wave.

Last fall, at a reading for Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future, a 50-ish audience member questioned the thirtysomething authors’ ever-so-casual usage of the word “ladies.” To this woman (who turned out to be tireless second-wave activist Laura X, creator of the Women’s History Research Center), the blithe use of “ladies” ran counter to everything she and her generation of feminists had fought for—and against.

But to the authors, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, and their peers, the lady words can spill forth with ironic glee.

Read

0 comments

The Buffy Effect

Or, a tale of cleavage and marketing

Article by Rachel Fudge, appeared in issue Issue #10; published in 1999; filed under Broadcast; tagged Buffy, tv.

In the early 1990s, vampire mythology, horror revival, teen angst, and kick-ass grrlness congealed in a new figure in the pop culture pantheon of the paranormal: the vampire slayer. Not just any vampire hunter, mind you, but Buffy, the Valley-dwelling teenage slayer.

Read

5 comments