Okay - so I've succumbed to pop culture and subscribed to Glamor magazine. Yes, I realize that there are *lots* of not so good things about it but I also realize that many of those things are being pushed by advertisers. The actual content of the magazine tells a bit of a different story. Sure, there are all the spots about how to be more beautiful, more glamorous, etc (obviously the issue here is that women are never beautiful enough blah blah) HOWEVER - they also manage to squeeze in some good stuff surprisingly enough.

The latest issue has a story on rape victims and an increasingly popular rapist defense tactic that victimizes the woman even further. Unfortunately, they don't feature ANY of the good solid stories online (yes, I did send them email about that!). Some of the other topics they've covered recently include a cancer survivor's diary, a piece on breast cancer, ways to support research for heart disease, a *great* piece on abortion clinics and women telling their stories about trips to clinics, and so on. Like I said - good stuff in with the entertainment.

I have to say, one of the challenges of being a feminist (for me anyway) is finding ways to enjoy being female without feeling guilty or like I'm betraying other women. As the women's movement is all about women and their freedom to choose, why shouldn't one of those choices be to look pretty, flirt, and be sexy? And another choice is to be a traditional wife/mother, stay home, take care of the family, cook and be the primary care giver. Another choice is to be on the front lines, an activist, fighting for all women to have the right to make these choices from a healthy and loving place.

I believe that criticizing other women for their lifestyle choices defeats the purpose of the women's movement and feminism in general. It's true, there is fighting involved and there are principles that are worth fighting for but to me the most important thing we are fighting for is for women to have the right to make these choices - to know that they *have* a choice. That's most important to me and I'm eternally grateful for the women who have fought before me.