A LOOK INTO JENNIFER BAUMGARDNER'S PERSONAL LIFE

   

Jennifer in 2008.

     Jennifer Baumgardner was born in 1970. She was raised in a densely populated city in North Dakota called Fargo, with her parents and two sisters, of which she was the middle child.

     She attended high school in her hometown and later travelled to Wisconsin, where she would study at Lawrence University until graduation in 1992. While at Lawrence, Baumgardner contributed to the organization of a feminist group on campus, and she also co-founded an alternative newspaper that revolved around intersectional issues. 

     

   After graduation she moved to New York City, where she obtained an unpaid internship at Ms. Magazine and became their youngest editor of all time. At Ms. Magazine, Baumgardner would edit articles mainly about different feminism topics. The magazines slogan is "More than a magazine- a movement!", and this is exactly what Baumgardner was interested in and wanted to help further the movement.

     

BAUMGARDNER'S RELATIONSHIPS

Baumgardner and Amy.

    
     Once Baumgardner started a relationship with Michael, there was a lot of confusion, rude comments and questions, as any bisexual person may encounter. People said it was "just a phase" and questioned HER sexuality. 

Baumgardner, Michael and her son Skuli.

                                          

     Eventually, she marries Michael and in the article she expresses that just because she is married to a man, doesn't mean her sexuality has changed. She states that her sexuality is hers and that it's not determined by her partner. There was a sentence that really jumped out to me and that was "I'm aware I appear straight, because bisexuality is invisible (or unbelievable) to many people." I strongly agree with the statement that people are shocked by people who identify as bisexual and suddenly decide that the individual is greedy or confused. 

Baumgardner, Michael, Skuli and Magnus.

WHAT DOES JENNIFER BAUMGARDNER DO?

     

     Jennifer Baumgardner is an activist. She displays this through her various jobs, which includes writing, filmmaking and public speaking/lecturing.
     
     Within her work, Baumgardner explores feminism, sex and abortion, sexualities, rape and the culture that comes along with it, being a single parent and the power women possess. She also focuses on expression and the right you have to it. She learnt about feminism while the second wave was ongoing and she is apart of the third wave.

BAUMGARDNER'S FILMS

  

I Had an Abortion Trailer (2005).

     
     Jennifer Baumgardner created her break through documentary I Had an Abortion in 2005 alongside Gillian Aldrich. It follows the stories of almost a dozen women who are of an assorted age range, class, race, sexuality and religion, all while showing the impacts of abortion.

     "Why talk about our abortions? Because every major advance in reproductive freedom was preceded by women telling the truth about their lives. Near the turn of the 20th century, Margaret Sanger shed light on the women who were dying early and miserable deaths due to a lack of birth control and near-constant childbearing, ushering in birth control. In the late 1960s, women began speaking out about their illegal abortions, accelerating the movement for abortion rights. Women telling their stories now—when abortion is legal but so stigmatized that it’s never discussed in polite company—places real women at the center of what has become a vicious and abstract debate." - Jennifer Baumgardner on her documentary

Reviews on the film.

It Was Rape Trailer (2013).

     In 2013, Baumgardner released her second film, It Was Rape, which tells eight very different stories of sexual harassment and assault. Not only is this a documentary, but it also a campaign and resource. Baumgardner's thought process was to highlight the relevance in our society and to break the stigma that surrounds it. Baumgardner said that the "goal of this project is to add to the cultural conversation around rape." She also wanted this film to give rape survivors a voice and to help future victims or people struggling at that exact moment. 

     Although rape is a crime, it usually goes unpunished. 60% of rapes in the United States are not reported and 50% of those that are reported will not result in an arrest. In North America, 1 in every 4 women will endure sexual assault or harassment in their life, most likely before the age of 17. In the past, 15% of sexual assault cases that were reported were from males who were under the age of 16. (http://www.sexassault.ca)

INTRODUCTION TO BAUMGARDNER'S WRITING

     

     Jennifer Baumgardner has multiple writing styles. She writes in a couple different formats including articles for magazines, journal entries, essays and books.   

BAUMGARDNER'S WRITING: BOOKS

    In her lifetime she has published six books, which include: 

• Abortion & Life
• Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics
• Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future
• Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism

   
     All of Baumgardner's books carry similar themes of women's rights, equality between genders and sexualities, destroying the patriarchal system, sex, abortion, life and how to be an activist in your own way. These concepts also carry out through all of her work. 

   Although her books have not received a great deal of recognition and praise they have been featured on some popular shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show and NPR’s Talk of the Nation. 

BAUMGARDNER'S WRITING: ARTICLES

Baumgardner's first article (1995).

     Jennifer Baumgardner's first article appeared in Ms. Magazine circa 1995. She wrote about Zsuzsanna Budapest, her books and feminism. In an interview, Baumgardner expressed that Budapest was someone she was inspired by at a young age. 

This Is What a Feminist Looks Like.

     

     Linked above is Baumgardner's latest article that was published in September 2015. 

     "What do Caitlyn Jenner and teenage boys have in common? They're at the vanguard of feminism's next wave. How gender fluidity and second-wave sons (and grandsons) are transforming the women's movement" 

     This quote immediately caught my attention and sparked countless thoughts. From this quote, I take away that Baumgardner believes men and members of the lgbtq community are going to be the faces of this movement. I also interpreted that she thinks they are the key to change in this movement.

     In this article, Baumgardner asks the question "Why are men embracing feminism now, and vice versa?", she then goes on to explain that there is a shift in our culture and this is what is making the men get involved. As a society, we are breaking down gender roles and the norm. Now, it is normal for women to work so they can support themselves and their family. There was a study done in 2013, that concluded 60% of families are surviving off of dual income, which means both parents are working. The study also found that "fathers are as likely as mothers to complain about work-life balance." Which means both genders are doing things they stereotypically should not be doing.

     Personally, the most interesting thing I read in the article was that men are more likely to support gender equality if they have daughters. This causes me to think that they only care about an issue if it directly impacts themselves or a family member. 

     

BAUMGARDNER'S WORK WITH THE FEMINIST PRESS

     Jennifer Baumgardner joined The Feminist Press at CUNY in July of 2013. She was hired to be a publisher and executive director. The Feminist Press is a nonprofit organization that was founded to be an educational tool for women's rights and to further the movement. 

     The Feminist Press reprint older feminist literature by classic female authors that regular publishers stopped printing. Baumgardner said in an interview that "the only reason they went out of print was because they were written by women. The Feminist Press started to republish them and find these lost voices." 

     One thing Baumgardner likes about The Feminist Press is that they post/publish "cutting edge feminist theories" and they don't shy away from these issues. 

WHAT IS JENNIFER BAUMGARDNER'S DEFINITION OF FEMINISM?

Jennifer Baumgardner interview (16:00-17:46).

AWARDS AND ACHIVEMENTS

     The Jezebel 25 is a list of women who are relatable and embody a wide range of skills and ideas. These women are the voice of the future and people you need to keep an eye out for. Baumgardner was awarded a spot on the list in 2012.

     She was also honoured with a spot on The Feminist Press 40 under 40. This is a list of feminists under the age of 40 who have positively impacted the movement. She was rewarded with the title "Visionary for the 21st Century" from The Commonwealth Club of California and she also received an award from The Feminist Women's Health Center of Atlanta.

IS THERE A FOURTH WAVE? AND WHAT ARE BAUMGARDNER'S THOUGHTS

     Jennifer Baumgardner says the fourth-wave feminism started in 2008. It is made up of young, tech-savvy and politically correct people. They created help lines, organizations for trans health, songs, blogs, twitter campaigns and accounts. 

     

     The fourth wave feminism heavily includes the lgbtq community, male feminists and sex work.

Trans Flag.

     Baumgardner says that "the Fourth Wave matters" and that all of the waves are "apart of the same body politic known as feminism, and combine to become a powerful and distinct force."