Jessica Valenti Full Frontal Feminism

                                                                     "Jessica Valenti"

Jessica Valenti is the executive editor of the popular blog Feministing.com. She focused on the issues that had huge influence on today’s young women such as gender gap and sexism. Her female bloggers covered stories from iissues of young women such as sexuality and males’ prejudice with an entirely new viewpoint.

Valenti’s argument was quite strong which re-define what term feminism mean. Some critics described it as “third-wave feminism to the masses.” In order to show the idea of the stereotypical feminist such as women's studies majors and middle-aged, middle-class white women, she wrote Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters, to indicated the feminized political value to the audience of younger generations of females. Valenti writes, “As different as we all are, there’s one thing most young women have in common: We’re all brought up to feel like there’s something wrong with us. We’re not ladylike enough - ‘stop cursing, chewing with your mouth open, speaking your mind" (Valenti 25). 

Writing this book was really important to Valenti. First of all, she believes the idea of natural extension was created by her Feministing.com. It was an inspiration in feminism for her creativity to to be fully exposed with a new feminist view in young feminist's world. She started drafting this book in high school. The access to feminism for younger women wasn’t acceptable in many institution.
  This book is the best reading for young women because they were not politically active. She writes, “While falling in love is fun, it's not everything, and it's not the antidote to an unfulfilled life, despite what Reese Witherspoon movies may tell you” (Valenti 30).

In today’s world, young women hesitate to admit they are feminists. Bell Hooks says, "change how we see images” (Hooks 6). The stereotypes would be the important topic of her book, for this reason, the stereotypes is pervasive. The feminist values were also important to young women. The language and the word would encourage young women about using it like “I am a feminist.” When looking at the way anti-feminist rhetoric present, we can see the strategy young feminist used tried to keep them away from stereotypes. The question Valenti was trying to present in her book is to find out the best way to keep young women away from the stereotypes. 

The time Valenti first started identifying as a feminist was in college. She has been politically active. To become a feminist does not mean to speak language of feminism, according to Valenti. Her mother was a feminist who had huge influence on Valenti. She writes, “When I was in college, a teacher once said that all women live by a ‘rape schedule.’ I was baffled by the term, but as she went on to explain, I got really freaked out” (Valenti 27). She first introduce her own experience about her view of feminism when she took women's studies classes. Later on she started identifying as a feminist when she went to college. She also thought the idea of feminist was controversial first of all it was a gender-related problem. Second, she remembers when she was in high school, she discussed about feminist issues with many people, and they were politically active compared to other young feminist. She also states many problem younger women experience. For example if someone is loud and opinionated, then the person speaks her mind and is candid. (Valenti 28).

Works Cited

Valenti, Jessica. Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters. Seal Press, 2007. Print.

Hooks, Bell. Reel to Real: Race, Sex, and Class at the Movies. New York, NY: Routledge, 1996. Print.

Sources and images retrieved from: 
http://Feministing.com