Jennifer Baumgardner

On October 4, 2000 Baumgardner and Amy Richards published their first co-authored book Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future. Speaking directly to young third wave feminists, Baumgardner and Richards wrote the book to inspire women of the current generation to consciously embrace the liberation of today while remembering the work of previous feminist generations, writing:

Consciousness among women is what caused this [change], and consciousness, one's ability to open their (sic) mind to the fact that male domination does affect the women of our generation, is what we need... The presence of feminism in our lives is taken for granted. For our generation, feminism is like fluoride. We scarcely notice we have it—it's simply in the water.[10]

Prologue: A Day Without Feminism In the prologue of Manifesta, the two authors recall the most vital achievements of women's liberation, which can be credited to the 2nd Wave of Feminists of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Both of the authors, Baumgardner and Richards, were profoundly influenced by feminism from an early age, as both of their mothers took part in consciousness-raising groups, and Baumgardner's went even further to participate in the staged laundry strikes. So both of these authors are asking the audience to figuratively jump on a time machine and go back to the 1970s for a day. The purpose of this is to see exactly what the 2nd Wave feminists have succeeded in changing in a male-dominant patriarchal society, and what so many now take for granted - including the 3rd Wave feminists.

The authors are aiming their point towards all future feminists (particularly 3rd wave), who are often in conflict with the previous generation of feminists. The tension comes from the belief that 2nd Wave is exclusively white-middle class and over essentialist in the view of femininity. This conflict has led to an almost ideological split between the two factions, but Manifesta's prologue allows for the justification of the 2nd wave's actions. If 2nd Wave feminists not precipitated society to what it was for the 3rd Wave feminists, who knows how the power struggle might have unfolded. This is not taking away anything from the authors' identified group—the 3rd Wave feminists, it is just reminding all of the current feminists, not to criticize what they do not completely know or understand. The accomplishments of the previous generations can never be taken for granted, their success came from radical action which pushed the limits in every segment of society. They did what was deemed reasonably possible, and what the white-male patriarchal society would accept. From their success sprouts and blossoms another movement—the 3rd wave. Society was ready for this movement, people were ready to change the norms of white-male dominance, hence 3rd Wave can manifest in the success of the 2nd Wave, not treat it as its enemy. The two authors just want more harmony within the bigger picture.

Throughout the book the authors traces feminism's evolution from the First Wave suffragette movement to the Third Wave feminism of today, all the while encouraging readers to continue the feminist fight of previous generations.

Who are feminists and what is feminism?

Baumgardner and Richards[11] ask the fundamental but often overlooked questions, "who are the feminists?" and "what is feminism?" They cut to the foundational questions framing contemporary and past feminist movements in order to expose the stereotypes, inaccuracies, or misconceptions that derail and devalue the movement. This goal not only contributes to an established canon of third-wave feminist literature, but also makes the movement more appealing to young women who are misled by negative or stereotypical media and popular culture representations of feminism. They start with foundational definitions of what feminism means to them, invoking politically and socially conscious women and men. They clarify that there is no one formal alliance composed of "the feminists," but instead, feminism is a fluid alliance among individual citizens. This definition displays the differences between how a movement may appear on the surface—cohesive and homogeneous—and how it actually is internally. This disparity may be positive, and lend weight to feminist struggles, but it may also be negative, when the movement as a whole is judged based on the actions of one or a few individual(s). The authors argue that the latter disparity demonstrates the oppressed status of women and feminist activists, as a whole group is easily reduced to one or a few individuals, particularly in media, which disseminates this incomplete illusion.

The authors use matter of fact language to address their next question: what exactly is feminism? Feminism is not only a movement for social, political, and economic equality among men and women, but also requires the freedom to access information and education. Race and ethnicity are key to the modern feminist movement. This natural partnership also invokes the fight for gay rights. Feminism involves men and women of diverse ethnicities and sexual orientations united with the goal to liberate all individuals. It is a movement with the very clear goals of social and political change. This change is epitomized by engagement with government and the law, in addition to broader societal norms and practices. Beyond this foundational definition of feminism, there exists ample elasticity for women to define feminism according to their personal experiences. Because the lived experiences of women are so diverse, feminism itself must accommodate for these differences.

However, because of this fluidity, some modern women in prominent leadership positions have uneasy public relationships with feminism. The authors cite the example of G. E. executive Sam Allison, who sits on the board of The Women's Center in Milwaukee, and claims that she is not a feminist, she is just an "advocate to end violence against women." The modern-day example would be Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg proclaiming that her book, Lean In, "is not a feminist manifesto — okay, it is sort of a feminist manifesto" (Hoedel, 2013, para. 10[12]). These are two examples of the authors' assertions that issues separated from their feminist roots become depoliticized, and the fundamental causes of a particular societal problem are obscured. For example, the problem for Sandberg is an absence of women "leaning in" to positions of workplace leadership. This and other issues of economic development need to unequivocally identified as feminist issues in order to be dealt with equitably and effectively.

After the critical and commercial success of Manifesta Baumgardner co-authored yet another book with Amy Richards entitled Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism which was published in January, 2005. The purpose of the book was to provide a "handbook" for social activism and to help readers answer the social justice question: What can I do? Based on the authors' own experiences, and the stories of both the large number of activists they work with as well as the countless everyday people they have encountered over the years, Grassroots encourages people to move beyond the "generic three" (check writing, contacting congressional representatives, and volunteering) and make a difference with clear guidelines and models for activism. The authors draw heavily on individual stories as examples, inspiring readers to recognize the tools right in front of them—be it the office copier or the family living room—in order to make change. Activism is accessible to all, and Grassroots shows how anyone, no matter how much or little time they have to offer, can create a world that more clearly reflects their values.[13]

On February 20, 2007, Baumgardner published Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics, the first book she had written without the co-authorship of Amy Richards. In Look Both Ways, Baumgardner takes a close look at the growing visibility of gay and bisexual characters, performers, and issues on the national cultural stage. Despite the prevalence of bisexuality among Generation X and Y women, she finds that it continues to be marginalized by both gay and straight cultures, and dismissed either as a phase or a cop-out. Woven in between her cultural commentary, Baumgardner discusses her own experience as a bisexual, and the struggle she's undergone to reconcile the privilege she's garnered as a woman who is perceived as straight and the empowerment and satisfaction she's derived from her relationships with women.[14]

In October 2008, Baumgardner published Abortion & Life (Akashic), which attempted to reckon with the unease that even people within pro-choice circles feel about abortion with personal portraits, chapters on history, and an assertion that one could be pro-life and a feminist. Noted for its candor and lack of defensiveness, the book stated that "abortion is the result, not the cause, of social problems."

Soapbox, Inc. is a non-profit feminist organization started by Baumgardner and Amy Richards in 2002. Baumgardner and Richards formed the organization with the purpose of providing a national platform for spreading their activist message. Since its creation in 2002 Soapbox, Inc. has come to represent dozens of authors, scholars, speakers, and artists at the forefront of feminist politics, and has developed a client base of more than 500 schools and organizations, including Planned Parenthood, St. Thomas University, Unitarian Universalist Association, University of Pennsylvania, and Shoreline Community College.

In 2007, they devised an innovative way of "bringing the campus to the speakers" with the creation of Soapbox Feminist Boot Camps. These week-long intensives immerse participants (of all ages and genders) in the practice of feminism and exposes the myriad of issues, approaches, organizations, and individuals that are the lifeblood of the movement.[6] Currently these boot camps are the largest feminist immersion programs in the country.

In 2004, Baumgardner created the "I Had an Abortion" project to encourage women (and men) to "come out" about their procedures. The campaign included t-shirts that said "I had an abortion," a film (made with Gillian Aldrich) documenting women's stories of abortion, a book, and a photo exhibit.[6] The film features ten different women—one of which being famous feminist Gloria Steinem—openly speaking about their abortion experiences spanning over seven decades from the years prior to Roe vs. Wade to present day.

On the "I Had an Abortion" film website Baumgardner writes about her involvement with the campaign, saying:

The I Had an Abortion project had many inspirations. Some were conversations I kept having with second wave feminists on this listserv called History-In-Action, where the women would talk about how infuriating it was that their experiences of abortion—often trauma-free and liberating—were not part of the media presentation or common understanding of the issue. Some were conversations with my frequent writing partner, Amy Richards, who is brave and open about her experiences with abortion. The final inspiration was frustration with how activists (myself included) yell loudly about abortion rights, but rarely place ourselves in the issue. What experiences have pro-choice and pro-life leaders and senators and congresspeople personally had with abortion? Frustration with the yelling and the lack of personal stakes in reporting on this issue led me to want to approach it only personally—get right to the women and their stories, their faces and their lives, and get away from their political opinions. Thus, this is a pro-abortion rights project that is most concerned with creating space for women and men to speak honestly about their lives and their abortion experiences.[15]

After the success of the "I Had an Abortion" campaign Baumgardner began spearheading the "I Was Raped[16]" project in 2008. She later changed the name to "It was Rape." Modeled after the 2004 abortion campaign, the project encouraged men and women to "come out" about their experiences with sexual assault, and included the production and distribution of "I was raped" t-shirts and a 2013 film, It Was Rape, documenting the stories of individuals who had experienced sexual assault in their lifetimes.

In a 2008 interview with Scarleteen,[17] Baumgardner spoke about the campaign, remarking "The 'It Was Rape' Project is a documentary, t-shirt campaign, and resources designed to A) highlight the prevalence of rape in our culture and B) interrupt the silence and shame that surrounds it. The goal of this project is to add nuance to the cultural conversation around rape. The reality of rape is more subtle than the preconceptions suggest. The act of rape—as well as the emotions and reactions of the raped—fall somewhere outside of the black-and-white roles of perpetrator and victim. The current things we have in place for justice are also inadequate, since the vast majority of rape victims don't want to or choose not to press charges. The aim of this documentary is to highlight these issues, as well as to give rape survivors a voice."