I thought early today that I needed to write about what is posted a many blog sites. I have been bothered over the last few days by the types of posting about women. Even those posts which are suppose to be helpful, appear to me to be superficial.
I am new to blogging, as my many post have already indicated, but I have found the focus on women sadly lacking. I have determined that the categories I created many weeks ago are important.
To begin, I created a new zine or attempted to at any rate. The focus of that blog is to be women and business. I worked on an article about writing a business plan. Posted it, more than once as I kept loosing it and then decided to make it part of this new zine. I tried my best to create a cover for the zine.
I didn’t want to use the photos I had on my collection and went looking through those that were immediately available through the blog site. I was more than disappointed. Photo after photo of women were about young scantily dressed women, exposed body parts, suggestive postures, women kissing women etc. I really don’t care that these are there, however, there was a lack of photos of business women, women who are strong, multi-generational gatherings of women, etc. There is more to a woman life than her ability to be sexually attractive and that is not always demonstrated in the “traditional” way.
I have not given up my determination to create a wonderful cover for the Women and Business zine. I will find a photo appropriate but find the lack of substance around me disheartening. So much for all the progress made since the 60’s.
4firestone's Weblog 
Its important to keep in mind the search engine is a tool, and that the primary internet users are 20 something and 30 something women. If you type in the key words you have in your tags chances are you will get the unfavorable depictions you are finding.
First drop “women as objects”, “women in photos”, “thinking about women”. Think about what kind of women you are interested in seeing in photos or that you admire and think about and conduct your search that way.
Use something like “women icons” you will find some wonderful sites. You might enjoy Jocelyn Mathewes or Women for Women, a wonderful web site about women and strength.
Try key word “womens history” to find and publish information about Women writers of twentieth century history: women who have made an impact through their fiction or journalism or poetry.
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/writers20th/Women_Writers_20th_Century.htm
We are sorely lacking on mentoring women on feminism, activism, sexism, and emotionalism. Most definently there is a need for a site like yours that allows women to come together and communicate / compare their visions, form their own opinions, share their successes (and failures) and vent their frustrations. It just might allow them to think outside of the internet box and become more creative with their searches.
Educate the 20 and 30 somethings that are exposed on a daily basis to todays internet and you may start to find more of what you are looking for as you conduct your research.
In closing, here are 2 quotes from Elizabeth Blackwell:
“For what is done or learned by one class of women becomes, by virtue of their common womanhood, the property of all women”.
“If society will not admit of woman’s free development, then society must be remodeled”
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