If you picked up the new issue of Cosmopolitan yesterday, you may have noticed that I and this blog have been nominated for the 2010 Fun Fearless Female Awards.
It’s a bit of a cliche to say “I’m just happy to be nominated”, but in my case, that’s actually true. I have long suspected that the kind of work I do is not the kind of work that tends to win awards, being neither hard hitting reportage nor directly related to an industry that can potentially make a healthy profit from my words.
In fact, I’ve sometimes wished that there was an award specifically for thought-provoking magazine features - not because I think that I’ve written the most thought-provoking magazine feature in the country in any given year (so far, at least), but because if there was, then maybe one year I would be nominated and then I could wear a nice dress, drink free booze and eat some yummy food. Kind of like reliving your high school formal, only without all the associated drama.
So I’m really not kidding when I say I’m happy to be nominated.
I’ve always thought it was a bit silly when people on the internet have been all “vote for so-and-so because she’s a feminist” (in fact, I have said as much on this here blog). This isn’t to say that I haven’t thought said feminists were very much worth voting for, but that I thought the better reason to vote for them was because they were fantastic and intelligent and talented, rather than because I approximately agreed with their politics.
But you know what? In this case I am going to say, “Vote for me, because I am a feminist!”* Because I think it would be truly awesome and exciting to see the kind of writing and conversation that happens on this blog (and in your reblogs around Tumblr) recognised in the pages of Cosmopolitan.
You should also go vote for other awesome thinky ladies like Emily Maguire (author), Nina Funnell (inspirational role model) and Amanda McKenzie (inspirational role model), and check out the work of other nominees who I do not personally know, and thus cannot personally vouch for the work of, but whom I am sure are great.
* You can also vote for me because you think I’m fantastic, intelligent and talented, if you would prefer.
Elsewhere: Fun Fearless Female Awards (Cosmopolitan)
I actually *cough* influenced my mother’s vote to support you and another blogger. I think it’s important to support feminist voices in the blog world who talk about things that aren’t nice digestible The Circle kind of women’s issues :D