What Buzzfeed can do for women
Depending on who you ask Buzzfeed is either the “most important news organization in the world” or a “strange place” for “so-called journalism”. It is home to listicles, quizzes, cats and #TheDress. And it is so much more: A place for great storytelling. A place for journalism. And a place where women are taken seriously.
Scanning the covers and websites of most women’s magazines, you might get the impression that women care about four things only: shoes, dresses, Ryan Gosling and losing weight.
And I have to admit that that is true to some extent. But women are also interested in politics and finance and science — just like men are. And women want to read about other women’s accomplishments, struggles and everyday lives just like we read about men’s.
But that’s what Jezebel is for, you might say now. And I agree: sites like Jezebel, Ms. Magazine and The Hairpin are amazing and the obvious choice when you are looking for an intelligent female angle. But you have to know that these sites exist. You have to know that this is the kind of angle you are looking for. Many people don’t. Because they have never thought about this. Or because they don’t really care. So they might not go to Jezebel. But they might click on a Buzzfeed link. And share it. Like thousands of people do.
They might read about struggling with disordered eating and trying to mend the relationship with ones body. About “it girls” and why we label women. About taking anxiety medicine and taking care of yourself. About brown women feeling like impostors. About being drugged at a music festival. About a gay teenager committing hate crimes against herself. About how a new mother feels about not making money anymore and being financially dependend on her husband. About not being a girl the way that other girls are girls.
Some of the most compelling and honest stories by and about women that I have read in the last few weeks were Buzzfeed stories. As were some of the most entertaining ones. (And of course there are also listicles that fit this description — in case you were wondering.)
I love how the “one size fits all” myth was debunked when five editors tried on different items of clothing. The same goes for the one where Buzzfeed staffers tried on Oscar dresses. No matter whether a size 0 or a size 18, all of the women were beautiful and funny and intelligent and honest about how it felt to wear something too small or too big or too weird.
To some of you, this might sound like it came straight out of a regular women’s magazine . And yes some of these stories are about fashion or feelings (or, gasp, both). But there is no judgment. The stories are not cliché. They are personal. They are interesting. And they are honest. And this is what sets them apart.
There are amazing women working at Buzzfeed. Women that I admire. I can’t name all of them but I can name a few: Shani O. Hinton. Jenna Guillaume. Tracy Clayton. Candace Lowry. Kristin Chirico. Jen Lewis. Sheridan Watson. Emily Orley. Alexis Nedd. Juliane Leopold (disclaimer: I know Juliane).
You should follow them on Twitter and you should read their work. Because they are the reason why Buzzfeed is great. It gives women a voice without making a big deal out of it. And this is huge — simply because Buzzfeed is huge.
People love to read and share and talk about Buzzfeed stories. No matter what media critics say. And someone who clicked on #TheDress might go on and read something that makes her feel good about herself. Something that makes him understand women a tiny bit better. Something that takes away some prejudices they might have had. And I applaud Buzzfeed for accomplishing that.
