I love Ted Talks. I love that they disseminate information from
very well spoken and incredibly smart individuals on a wide variety of topics.
(Confession: Ted Talks even helped me formulate ideas for my thesis) Thus, when I want to procrastinate but don’t
want to waste my time on Facebook, I watch Ted Talks.
I find that this technological platform for sharing mini-lectures
is vitally important for contemporary feminist movements. I have learned so
much about other feminist movements around the world because of Ted Talks. I
also believe that Ted Talks are an inviting forum for those who don’t know much
about feminism to learn about it in a “safe” and private environment.
So, I’ve listed some of my favorite Ted Talks pertaining to
feminism in the hopes that: 1) you learn something new; 2) you realize that
other people are doing the same work you are doing (or want to do); 4)
listening to other people’s stories inspires you; or 3) you realize that we
still need feminism. Regardless of your takeaway messages I hope that you at
least realize that the information is out there as long as you look for it.
There are some pretty amazing people in this world doing amazing feminist work.
This talk highlights the importance of acknowledging how far
we’ve come while also being realistic on how much more needs to be done. Esta
Soler, an advocate fighting against domestic violence, discusses the various
tactic and technologies that have been used over the past decades to bring
awareness of domestic violence which has engaged the public and policy maker
while also allowing women to share their stories. She argues that technology,
in essence, has made the invisible visible.
*Warning: there is a clip within the talk that portrays a
violent scene that can be quite difficult to watch.
This is one of my favorite Ted Talks. Adichie is a Nigerian
writer who warns us against the unintended consequences of the single
narrative. Hearing a single story and then attributing those characteristics to
an entire people or country manages to deny individual experiences and ignore
complexity. This silencing of voices and overgeneralization is what leads to
misunderstandings or worse outcomes. The message from this talk is
transferrable to multiple issues such as sexism, ageism, racism, classism,
imperialism, etc. and is vitally important in this day and age.
McKenna Pope is a 14-year-old girl who started a Change.org petition
to have more gender-neutral toys and ended up being successful. She isn’t the
most eloquent speaker I’ve seen (alright I actually just got a little anxious
just watching her, but to be fair I’m not even that articulate at age 22). But
I still thought it conveyed an interesting message: Anyone can be an activist.
She talks about the evolution from starting with an idea, to implementing the
idea, overcoming discouragement, and ultimately how she became successful.
Yes, another Sheryl Sandberg talk. There are some very
interesting messages within this talk, but also some things that I find
problematic. She discusses the impact of her first Ted Talk and how her
message has changed the lives of women around the world. She also discusses some
important double-standard issues in terms of leadership and why that needs to
change. But, a quick disclaimer: this talk is riddled with white privilege and
completely ignores intersectional oppression in women’s lives. There are also
instances of the “white savior complex.” Still interesting to watch though but
just be mindful/critical of what you hear.
Kakenya Ntaiya is a Kenyan woman who tells her story about how
she made a difference within her community. As a woman who has undergone Female
Genital Mutilation (in her own words) she is an advocate for changing the
status of women within her own community. After coming back from the United
States, she took it upon herself to start a school for girls that could provide
a safe and enriching environment for girls. Overall, her message is that we all
have the ability to make our own communities better and if we all do our part,
this world can be a better place.
This is the blurb on the site that better summarizes the talk
better than I ever could. “Artist iO Tillett Wright has
photographed 2,000 people who consider themselves somewhere on the LGBTQ
spectrum and asked many of them: Can you assign a percentage to how gay or
straight you are? Most people, it turns out, consider themselves to exist in
the gray areas of sexuality, not 100% gay or straight. Which presents a real
problem when it comes to discrimination: Where do you draw the line?”
I must admit, this video is pretty hard to watch. Sunitha
Kirshnan starts off with telling the story of three children who have been
trafficked and then goes into her own experience with sex slavery. She offers
some insight into how these children, women, and men that have been trafficked
can be rehabilitated into society. Overall her message is clear: we need to
stop “victimizing the victims” and start treating them like human beings.
*Warning: there are some pretty graphic images
This is another one of my favorites. Isabel Allende is an
amazing speaker and her message is powerful, thought provoking, humorous, passionate,
and honest. She discusses many women’s issues globally and explains why we
still need feminism. I’d highly recommend watching this video.
Happy Procrastinating!
- Michelle Van Veen '14
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