To Be Real

A revolutionary exploration of the nature of feminism today, its impact on everyday life, and its promise for the future.
 
Determined to extend the boundaries of feminism to embrace social, political and economic equality for all humanity, these exciting young activists and thinkers recast the concepts of feminism to reflect their own experiences and beliefs. Inspired by activist and writer Rebecca Walker, they speak out, challenging many of their own assumptions about the women's movement and demanding that readers recognize a new relationship between the personal and the political.
 
Black and white, male and female, gay and straight, they fearlessly describe their liberation from the feminist ideals that conflict with the reality of who they are, expose shocking secrets, and acknowledge long-hidden accommodations and anomalies.Foreword
Gloria Steinam

Being Real: An Introduction
Rebecca Walker

To Be Real
Danzy Senna

Femmenism
Jeannine DeLombard

Brideland
Naomi Wolf

Kicking Ass
Veena Cabreros-Sud

An Odd Break with the Human Heart
Elizabeth Mitchell

Missionary Position
Gina Dent

Giving It Up: Orgasm, Fear, and Femaleness
Donna Minkowitz

Pushing Away the Plate
Min Jin Lee

Getting Off on Feminism
Jason Schultz

Sexism and the Art of Feminist Hip-Hop Maintenance
Eisa Davis

Identity Politics
Jennifer Allyn and David Allyn

Beauty Laid Bare: Aesthetics in the Ordinary
bell hooks

Close, But No Banana
Anna Bondoc

Motherhood
Allison Abner

Born to Dyke
Greg Tate

How Does a Supermodel Do Feminism?
An Interview with Veronica Webb

Testimony of a Naked Woman
Jocelyn Taylor

Virtual Identity
Mocha Jean Herrup

She Came With the Rodeo (An Exceprt)
Lisa Jones

Congratulations, It's a Girl
Amruta Slee

Afterword
Angela Y. Davis

Contributor Biographies
AcknowledgmentsRebecca Walker was chosen as one of Time magazine's 50 future leaders of America, one of the most influential leaders of her generation. She has made a substantial contribution to the global conversation about identity, power, culture, and the evolution of the human family through books, lectures, blogs, social networks, popular magazines, literary and academic journals, radio programs, film and television appearances, and content development. She graduated cum laude from Yale in 1992. Walker's writing has appeared in Glamour, the Washington Post, Bookforum, BOMB, Newsweek, Vibe, Real Simple, Modern Bride, Essence, and Interview, among many other magazines and literary collections. Her books include Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood After a Lifetime of Ambivalence; Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self; and Adé: A Love Story. She has appeared on Charlie Rose, Good Morning America, Oprah, Fresh Air, BET, and dozens of blogs, sites, and other media. She lives in Los Angeles.