With over 20,000 views in 121 countries, 2013 has been an amazing year for A Womyn’s Worth. I used to get excited when 15 people read my post per day. Imagine my surprise when I woke up to see 800 views one morning, and 3,000 that evening for some of my top posts. AWW did awesome for its first year.
In case you missed any, here’s a look back at a few of readers’ favorite posts from 2013.
I Wear Short Shorts BECAUSE I’m a Feminist (6,090 views)
“What is wrong with a woman being sexy? If she loves her body, then she has the right to dress it as she pleases.
No one should have to alter their appearance to fit into what society believes is the “appropriate” or “respectable” way a woman should dress. In my understanding, part of being a feminist means loving yourself enough that you express yourself however you want and allowing others to do the same.”
9 Totally Appropriate Responses to “You Don’t Act/Sound Black” (5,200+ views)
A handy list of responses in case someone decides that you aren’t a legit Black person. (I say it’s an appropriate list—but appropriateness is relative. You be the judge.)
This Week’s Most Offensive Internet Meme
“There’s a reason you haven’t heard much about the ambitious Black women of 2013. Women like Moya Bailey, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Melissa Harris-Perry, and Sil Lai Abrams aren’t trending on reality TV, Vine, Worldstar, and Youtube because they don’t fit certain stereotypes. Kanye isn’t going to feature those women in his music videos and Tyler Perry will write them in his script as heartless bitches simply because they are powerful.”
You Can Find Me in Da Club—but Don’t Touch Me!
“When did my body become public property? Just because my ass is big doesn’t mean you have license to grab it.”
YES YOU CAN: Twerk and Have a Brain
“Welcome to this week’s episode of ‘How Not to be a Feminist,’ starring Lily Allen.
She sings about how women in the industry are objectified—and then she turns right around and objectifies the backup dancers, who are mostly black women.
The message is clear: It’s not okay to objectify women, unless they’re women of color.”
Feminism Gets a Bad Facelift
“Originally, the Rebranding Feminism Contest looked like another bad facelift on a type of feminism that is no stranger to the back-alley plastic surgeon—a type of feminism whose privileged members seek to revamp the movement, yet, blindly fail to address the experiences of women of color, the LGBT community, low-income workers, and full-time mothers. Yes, maybe this type of feminism should seek an upgrade.”
Am I Black Enough?
“The ‘problem’ is: I don’t fit the stereotype of what the media says a Black woman should be. The societal definition of what it means to be Black (which is dangerously similar to the racist 19th Century beliefs of colonial powers) is how some of us define ourselves…
So I’m not going to define myself by racist standards of what it means to be Black—because you can’t be genuine if others are still defining who you are.”
Top 20 Things You Must Do in Your Twenties
“Now that I’ve supposedly entered ‘the real world’ and am considered an ADULT (even though I don’t feel like one), I’ve wanted to create a checklist for Twenty-Somethings. So I asked many women (and a few men), ages 21-82, what they think we should do in our twenties.” Do you have these things on your checklist?
Wanting to be a Big Booty Hoe
“As women, many of us are all taught at young ages —either from our parents, magazines, music, or the world around us—that part of our duty is to be pleasing to the eye. Scholars Sheila Lintott and Sherri Irvin explain in “Sex Objects and Sexy Subjects: A Feminist Reclamation of Sexiness,” women are socialized to believe that being sexy is essential to their value as human beings, and that only certain looks are defined as sexy. When someone fails to adhere to those narrow standards of sexy she may be viewed as less of a woman.
That is how I felt when I looked in the mirror and saw my lack of curves: I was less sexy; I was less of a woman.”
Welcome to Slut Shamer Rehab
“We’ve all done it: Shook our heads at the girl who decided to dress in a way that was too provocative for our own good taste, while in the back of our minds thought, “Where are the rest of her clothes?” Then we’d mentally label her a slut or skank, and if we were mean enough, we would give her a stank face and utter a few words under our breath. We’d stand high and mighty in our not-so-skanky stilettos and turn our noses up at the “slut” who dared leave the house and enter our wholesome presence showing all her goodies.”
Top Woman Rappers You NEED On Your Playlist
“If you were challenged to name as many current women rappers as you can and then asked to do the same for male rappers, I’m guessing your list would be pretty heavy with testosterone. I bet you could name a few veteran rappers, like Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Missy Elliott, and Remy Ma — but not too many artists making music now.”
News Flash: Women rappers are NOT an endangered species.
Top 7 Perks of Shaving Your Head
“As bald and buzzed cuts become increasingly popular, women are daring to shave their heads. I’ve worn a buzzed cut for nearly 3 years, and I have to say: it’s been a psychological, emotional, and amusing experience. I had to adjust to a different look and reactions that I got because of the new look. Hair is major part of a person’s identity, and there are implications whenever someone drastically changes their hair. And honestly, there are so many advantages to having no hair.”
A Womyn’s Worth is successful because of its readers. For all of you who’ve ever shared a post on Facebook, I’m so grateful My stats increase by the hundreds with every share. Seriously, THANK YOU!
Next year we will continue with more intriguing and necessary discussions on Black feminism, pop culture, sexual politics, hip hop, race, and everything in between. Thanks again for reading and sharing :).
A Woman's Worth 