Writing Wednesday: Writing feminist children's books

To get news from a source other than Facebook, I often look at the website for Bitch Magazine. After reading these two articles: How do you find feminist children's books? and "Mad Men" actresses reluctant to call Peggy and Joan "feminists" I have this to say: we need to stop allowing feminism to be a bad word.

I'm sorry but from my view of feminism Peggy and Joan ARE feminist. And what the hell is wrong with that? The association that this means they hate men, and they don't shave their legs? That's not feminism exactly. I find feminism to be about equality, and Peggy and Joan prove and fight to be seen as equal in the workplace and in the home. I don't think feminists hate women who want to be mothers either. It is about the choice to do so, rather than an obligation.

As a writer, I want to combat this problem by writing for younger audiences with a feminist intent. My hope is to write YA novels, and children's book that are about being yourself and having the choice to live life the way you want. Not the way society tells you are supposed to live your life.

Interestingly enough, a short story I wrote for children has a main character named Peggy. I started writing it before I new anything about Mad Men other than it being a show about the 1960s.

Now my question to the blog world:
What do you believe 'feminist' means?
Have you read any books for children you find to be 'feminist'?

"Most men, they'll tell you a story straight through. 

It won't be complicated, but it won't be interesting either."

- Big Fish, screenplay by John August

 I've tried to write blogs before and for some reason I always end up losing interest. This blog may not be able to keep my interest, but I'm starting it because starting over is probably better than continuing a blog I already lost interest in. 

Keep reading this blog if you are interested in hearing my opinions/reviews about the television shows I watch. Those are The Good Wife, How I Met Your Mother, Pretty Little Liars, Modern Family, The Vampire Diaries, Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Parenthood. There are more but those are the ones that currently come to mind. 

My blog will also include my struggles, successes, and thoughts on writing. I will be reviewing books I read, movies I see, and new TV shows I try to start. Most of my work includes a feminist opinion, and those will be shared on this blog as well. 

The rating system I have established for myself is as follows: 

1. The lowest score. These are books/TV/ movies I have a hard time finishing because I find something about the writing, or acting unbearable. An example of a book with the score of 1 would be Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

2. A score of a 2 means the book was readable, but I didn't care. The book either made me feel annoyance or nothing at all. Example: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. 

3. Maybe the book I deem a 3 isn't that well written on an English class scale but something made me love it. Example: Looking for Alaska by John Green. 

4. English class level writing but still enjoyable to any reader. A 4 should be something I gush over without any hesitation to someone who is judgmental about author choices. Example: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

5. Books I call a 5 should be amazing. Maybe people don't like these books but it's not without millions who love them and the chance for them to be remembered forever. My example of a 5 is The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. 

I will officially start this blog on Monday, with a rundown of the TV shows I watched the week prior. Have a good weekend everyone!

Just finished reading: The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick 
Currently reading: Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test edited by Mark D. White
and Watchmen by Alan Moore