"I am a Strident Feminist!" She is you know.

This doodle means quite a very much lot to me, so I do hope you like it. It was quite a while ago now that I drew her, but I am still pretty happy when I look at it (which is quite rare!) I know it is far from perfect but I suppose thats why I like her. I had just finished reading "How to be a woman" by Caitlin Moran. Her 2nd book (1st published in her adult life!) about her life growing up and her views on modern feminism. It has now taken off in America I believe and she is now a proper feminist super star. With really amazing hair, Huzzah!

So after I had read it, at lest 3 times (quite an achievement for a dyslexic me thinks) and listened to the audiobook many more times, I picked out a phrase that really affected me, and did a little doodle. She talks about 'reclaiming' the word Feminist. Dusting off all the dull stereotypical assumptions and associations and using it as a power for GREAT! And putting 'Strident' in front of it is even better, she says, if you can say "I am a Strident Feminist" out loud, you are in her gang!

The second layer of importance/creepy fandom is that I went to see her talk at the Cheltenham Literature Festival (Quite a big thing for me to do at the time) AND she signed my book, AND she gave me a hug, AND when I gave her the original (that is why the colours are a bit wishy washy and there is a terrible shadow around the edges) she said she would put it up in her kitchen! AHH!

She is a proper PROPER hero of mine and so THAT is why I have placed so much meaning on this little inky thing, AND why I have been using so many CAPITAL LETTERS! If you read her Times column, you will understand!

Thank you so much for reading to the end of my witterings (if you did get this far, well done, you should get a small prize of somesort) and I hope if you know of Caitlin, you did nodding at all the right bits when I said how AMAZING she is and if you are not aware of her (why) I hope this might make you seek her out and discover the AMAZING-NESS of her. And her hair.

P.S I really HATE photos, maybe I will expand later, but basically I have not been in front of the camera, willingly, for a long time. BUT, I was so excited after coming out of the talk and seeing her, that I actually wanted to! I am doing the obligatory 'Muppet Face' that she assumes in most of her pictures.