One night stands

Lyrics to “Girldrive”

Verse 1

Two girls on a mission
Keys in the ignition
on the road to listen
old friends with a vision

The tank is reading full
60 days to go
Stories to be told
Ready… set… go!

Chorus

Drive, Girldrive, Girldrive
Drive, Girldrive, Girldrive

Verse 2

So far from their home
Talk into the microphone

They never met before
But they opened up their doors

The highway is their guide
To find the way inside

The voices of the youth
Speak the bravest truth

Drive, Girldrive, Girldrive
Drive, Girldrive, Girldrive

Nona and Emma Bee
Came and talked to me

Krista in Tennesee
And Sharon in Fort Greene

“On the road” with a twist
Are you a feminist?

Thank you for your words
We listened and we heard

Drive, Girldrive, Girldrive

As always, Feminist Wednesday is interactive, so listen on 89.5 FM or stream at Vocalo.org, then call with your comments: (888) 635-1112.

Anyway, since clearly I have a one-track mind, we started shootin the shit about feminism, and damn did these ladies have something to say:

Nona: Do you guys claim the word “feminism”?

Kelley: Yes. I hate when people say “I’m not a feminist but I enjoy using birth control, not having to be married, being able to have a career.” The word needs to be more celebrated than it is.

Jessi: I’m a feminist but I don’t like forceful, overbearing feminism. It seems like some feminists have this set of rules, and you’re wrong for everything you do. So I’m a feminist, but in a positive way. I’d rather show it by example rather than preach.

Nikki: I don’t feel the need to label things. We’re fuckin’ livin’ hard, out of a van, doin’ things that dudes complain about.

Jessi: Oh also! None of us care to shave our armpit hair, but people make a really big deal out of it!

[hysterical laughing all around]

Jessi: See, and I think that’s cool for people to see. We don’t even mention it or make a big deal out of it. So I think a lot of people all of a sudden are like, Oh ok.

Kelley: Yeah, “like they’re wearing makeup, doing girly shit.” It’s all about what you’re comfortable doing. I can’t believe people are grossed out about something so natural. Remember when that girl went on MTV and talked about her armpit hair? People freaked out!

[we all remember. obviously.]

Jessi: It’s like saying, “We’re feminists, and we’re normal just like you.” You don’t have to be a freak of nature to be a feminist.

Nikki: Sometimes, people ask me if our song, “The Whole Damn Thing,” is a feminist song about body image. And I’m like, “Um…sure! Why not?”

Kelley: There are a lot of feminist musicians who don’t call themselves feminists, like Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton…

Nona: Oh god, I love Dolly. My religion on Facebook is “Dollywood.”

Kelley: Haha, yeah, she’s awesome. But she doesn’t come out and say she’s a feminist.

Nona: What do you guys think about the term “girl band”?

Kelley: It can get really annoying. One time I saw us referred to as a “girl-only band” as our only descriptor in this listings magazine. Every other band was “electronica” or “rock” or something. Come on, “girl-only band”? That tells you nothing at all. You would never call a band a “boy-only band.” But for some reason, it’s still okay for women. Hopefully just the sheer number of women in bands will change that.”

Damn straight. Listen to a clip of the “The Whole Damn Thing” here. Is it a feminist anthem? You decide:

This week, we talked to Dorothee Royal-Hedinger, a Girldrive interviewee and founder/host of OrganicNation.tv. She explained why food is a feminist issue, and what she’s planning for International Women’s Day on March 8 (more on that next week!).

Listen here.

I’ve really liked doing the show on Vocalo because we’re speaking to a depoliticized, mass audience. It takes me out of the feminist echo chamber; Molly and I try to discuss things that really resonate for the average person and not only the feminist-savvy among us. We’re also fun and super-honest (our guerilla tactic to break down ridiculous stereotypes about humorless, overly PC feminism). Plus, we always have Brian to argue what some of the listeners might be thinking.

If you’re in the Chicago area, you can always listen to Feminist Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. on 89.5 FM…and if you’re elsewhere, you can stream it at Vocalo.org.

Anna is only 30 years old and already a renowned speaker, activist, and author of “A Witness in Palestine.” She’s Jewish and originally from the Bay Area, and ever since she spent time traveling around the Middle East and staying with Palestinian families there, she’s been a vocal activist for Palestinian human rights and speaks out all over the world against the Israeli occupation. She was also involved with the International Women’s Peace Service as a volunteer in the West Bank.

I always knew that Israel was dependent on the United States for billions of dollars a year, but I never thought it had much to do with me. Even being Jewish, even when I went on a Birthright Israel trip, I still got the sense of, “Wow, this is complicated–I can’t get involved.” But Anna reminded me that we are involved, that our tax dollars are poured into the Israeli occupation at the rate of $10 million a day. It’s just a matter of how we are going to be involved, and how much we choose to educate ourselves about where our money is going.

Here’s Anna on the Daily Show with Palestinian democracy activist Mustafa Barghouti (the second part of the interview is here):

Also, Girldrive interviewee and brilliant feminist art scholar Maria Buszek will be hosting a special day of Feminist Art Project sessions at the College Arts Association conference this Saturday! I will be seeing a presentation called “Wandering Uteri, De/ReConstructed Vulvas, and Architectures of Hospitality,” chaired by feminist artist Faith Wilding (one of our picks for a Girldrive interviewee that sadly never happened). The conference will be held at the West Tower of the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

The DOVA gallery at the University of Chicago will be hosting a retrospective of Emma’s photographs, co-curated by Katherine Griefen, director of A.I.R. Gallery, and Laura Letinsky from Feb 5-27. The gallery is located at 5228 S. Harper Ave in Chicago, and the gallery is open Weds.-Sat from 12-5 p.m. There will also be a reception on Feb. 12 from 5-8 p.m. From the press release:

This exhibition of 30 photographs is accompanied by a slide presentation curated by Antonia Pocock [one of our Girldrive muses] and a catalogue with critical statements by Kate Bussard, Assistant Curator of Photography, The Art Institute of Chicago, and Professor Matthew Jesse Jackson, of the Department of Art History and Visual Art, University of Chicago. The exhibition will highlight the signature aspects of Bernstein’s work – the inflection of social, politically and historical awareness that marks her projects and her interdisciplinary approach to photography which combined fashion, documentary, (self) portraiture, feminism, and a unique blend of dark humor mixed with heady optimism.

That last part especially gets to me–Emma’s photography really was a curious mixture of sadness and youthful energy. Just look at this photo of Shelby from Girldrive, which will also be included in the exhibition:

I’m excited, since I’m an extremely firm believer in face-to-face convos being mandatory for feminism, as great as the Internet is. Some awesome feminists will be there, including Girldrive interviewee Veronica Arreola and one of my personal fave sex-ed advocates, Shelby Knox, too. RSVP here, or just show up.

If you’re not in Chi, you can stream the show every Wednesday at 1 p.m. CST here. Read all about Vocalo here.