#blogfest thoughts: feminist acts and things that we do

This is going to be a series of posts, written as and when I get 5 mins to spare – thoughts and so on following on from the Mumsnet blogfest conference at the weekend. they may not be fully formed, but I am sure you will manage.

Panel Discussion: Can you be a mummy blogger and still be a feminist?

There is a big difference between a “feminist act” and an act that people (including feminists) do. There are also words that are ‘loaded’ ones – ones that take me back to my first weeks of my degree and Roland Barthes’ semiotics sign, signifier, signified. Jam is one of those words. Replace, jam, with say, coffee and you have an altogether different set of connotations of a simple act of making something you can eat or drink. Using a word such as ‘jam’ to open a panel debate on whether being a feminist and also a mummy blogger is mutually exclusive, was, in my opinion, deliberately wilful and one that sadly backfired.

‘Feminism’ and ‘mummy blogger’ are already potentially explosive debates. Mummy blogger in and of itself is a descriptive term. A mother what blogs, innit. And yet, much like “chick lit”, intended to be derogatory and probably demeaning in terms of describing either the author, content or reader.

Jam too, isn’t just nice to eat (or listen to) or a good way of using up old fruit. It is a loaded word, it has connotations. of (and including but not limited to) housewives, the WI and more latterly, a sort of twee hipster foodie crafty ironically or not ironically reclaiming or something the things our grandmothers did. it’s not even defining the thing itself but what it (is perceived to) signify. But at it’s basic level, it’s something to do, by men or women – who may or may not include feminists – but it is not a “feminist act” (i.e. you do not further the cause or safety of women by making jam. or coffee.) hence when you ask “is making jam a feminist act”. the answer is “no”.

and so opened what could have been an interesting discussion but due to (wilful?) misunderstandings by both panel and audience, and lack of successful chairing and an act (killing the big tweet screen) probably not intended to be saying anything but interpreted by some as removing the dissenting voice, it descended into people shouting about breastfeeding, education and commodification of the domestic.

All of which were, or could have been interesting points. I’m not sure they added to the debate, and certainly in the form of slinging statements back and forth, they certainly didn’t. I totally wholeheartedly and vehemently agree with the point of view that there is more to my life than being a mother, but I can also see how slightly unfortunate presentation and muddling of I/you/one in the context of appearing to be judging “mummies” could rile. I make no secret here that having academic qualifications, working full time and engaging with the wider world outside of the sphere of raising children makes *me* a better parent but quite frankly I don’t mind whether “you” do or don’t have a similar background so long as we all discuss without alluding to the viewpoint that “mine’s better than yours”, or “I earn more than you”.

more later…