Blogging a feminist mountain out of a molehill…

Jezebel has decided to bring attention to a boycott by Anne Hays of the New Yorker. Why? Because in two issues of the New Yorker, she noticed a lack of female writers and illustrators. Let’s break out the feminist pitchforks!!

Sorry, Jezebel… no.

I would love to see more female voices reflected in magazines that aren’t directly aimed towards women- but ultimately, Anne Hays’ approach is flawed. She’s basing this boycott on two issues of the magazine. Not only that, she has no idea how many female writers and illustrators submitted work to the New Yorker. If there was a long standing pattern of rejecting quality work by female writers and illustrators, then there’d be cause.

But ultimately, what she’s doing is proclaiming the sky is falling because something hit her head.

I would like the point out that the wonderful Kate Beaton had cartoons in the New Yorker. She submitted scores, and only a couple of hers were selected- which to me doesn’t say that they’re trying to keep women out of the New Yorker… they’re simply looking for a specific sort of work, and pick the top quality stuff. (I wouldn’t make an issue out of there being many female cartoonists- there simply aren’t many women that try for that

Want to see more female writers in the New Yorker? Get familiar with what they publish and start submitting articles. Don’t say they’re sexist.

Ultimately, this is the problem I find with a lot of feminists. They want paths opened up to show an equal voice, but I’m not sure I want someone there as a token female voice. I would prefer to read something by a brilliant female mind who was picked because she was brilliant, not just because she’s a woman and they’re trying to fulfill a quota.