Adventures in Feministory

Full disclosure: I love Loretta Lynn. I have dressed like her for Halloween. I have sat glued to Sissy Spacek's performance as her in Coal Miner's Daughter. I have been known to sing "You Ain't Woman Enough" at various karaoke bars in the greater Portland area. I am a fan. But! Even if I weren't a fan of her music, her awesome biopic and her sassy Grand Ole Opry getups, I'd be a fan of her feminism. Did you know she wrote a hit (and censored) song about birth control?

It's somewhat of a running joke in feminist circles that, while awesome, a PhD in Gender Studies doesn't exactly bring in the big bucks. Well, Jenny Hagel is looking to change that (or at least the character she plays in her new web series, Feminist Rapper is). In the first episode, "A Lady Made That," a frustrated Gender Studies professor learns how to rap to try and get her students excited about the historical contributions women have made to society. A catchy rap that rhymes a'ight with Margaret Knight? A clueless student who confuses Judge Sandra Day O'Connor with Judge Dredd? A freestyle rap over the credits about Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony? (Seriously don't skip the credits because that freestyle is awesome.) I am already anxiously awaiting the next episode.

In honor of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards and Kathryn "I don’t want to talk about gender" Bigelow’s historic Oscar win AND the 99th Anniversary of the first International Women’s Day Conference, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight some Hollywood feminism that seems to always be in quirky style – the marvelous Diane Keaton, actor, director, photographer and singer.