If you happened to be browsing the New York Times' "Fashion and Style" section, you'd be hard pressed to find either. One misplaced article, entitled, "Feminism, One Conference at a Time," discusses in detail the growing "popularity" of feminist conferences. The events vary in attendees and location, but the common trend seems to be the cult-like worship of Gloria Steinem:
It was a month before Gloria Steinem’s 80th birthday, but on a Saturday evening in February, on the cliffs at a resort in Southern California, 500 women were helping her celebrate early. Ms. Steinem, the guest of honor, was flanked by her longtime friends Marlo Thomas and Jane Fonda. The three hugged, and then Ms. Thomas raised a glass. “To Gloria,” she said. “The absolutely perfect leader to our revolution.”
These "empowerment conferences" are intended to help women develop a sense of sisterhood, according to the NYT. If that didn't make you roll your eyes, this more in depth description will:
“There’s nothing quite like being in a room with like-minded women working toward a common cause,” said Dyllan McGee, the founder and executive producer of Makers. Ms. Huffington has long spoken about the power of her all-lady “tribe,” that by being together and creating support groups, women will be able “to bring about change faster.” With Mrs. Clinton on one side and Ms. Sandberg on the other — and Beyoncé somewhere in between — feminism has become, well, cool.
Hm, not quite. Perhaps Steinem and her followers should take a hint from Kirsten Dunst, Shailene Woodley, or countless other high profile female celebrities who are trying to distance themselves from the term 'feminism,' for they recognize it for what it is - man-bashing.
Heather wrote about the elitist hypocrisy of another feminist gathering, the recent 'Thrive' conference hosted by Arianna Huffington and Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC's Morning Joe. Are you telling me these ladies can't find a less expensive way to "be in the same room with like-minded women"? My mom belongs to a mother's club and they have no problem hosting their get togethers in one another's dining rooms. Nevertheless, the NYT insisted these lavish events were the new fad, thanks to Democrats' biggest hope for 2016:
“This is the tsunami effect of Hillary,” said Glynnis MacNicol, a journalist and co-founder of TheLi.st, a women’s networking group. Her co-founder, Rachel Sklar, added: “There is such a hunger on the part of smart, accomplished women to be taken seriously. It’s refreshing to see conferences and the zeitgeist reflect that.”
And how, exactly, will sitting in a room with hundreds of other women listening to "You can do it!" make them be taken seriously?
These meetings “give us the sense that we’re communicating and connecting at a time when I think so many of us have felt so isolated,” said Barbara Berg, a historian and author of “Sexism in America.” “I think these conferences have capitalized on a yearning to be part of something.”
In other words, they're a complete waste of time.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member