Teens Respond to Time Magazine's Suggestion to Ban 'Feminist'

Photo courtesy of The Arts Effect

OMG! Teen theater troupe The Arts Effect NYC is taking on Time magazine for its recent suggestion that the word “feminist” be banned. The suggestion came as part of a Nov. 12 word banishment poll, in which the magazine addressed its readers with the following: “If you hear that word one more time, you will definitely cringe. You may exhale pointedly. … What word is this? You tell us.” It offered many suggestions, however, it included the word “feminist” among them. And the inclusion touched off such an uproar that Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs issued a same-day apology, noting, “While we meant to invite debate about some ways the word was used this year, that nuance was lost, and we regret that its inclusion has become a distraction from the important debate over equality and justice.”

But the all-girl theater group was not amused and crafted an amazing response to the magazine’s poll, cleverly using every single one of the words the publication put on its list. 

Related: Little Girls Dropping F-Bombs for Feminism Stirs Controversy

"You’re putting us down and implying that we all be some BASIC bitches because we’d rather read Policy Mic, Jezebel, Crunk Feminist (oh we said it!) Collective, Ryot, Slate, Salon, Rookie, etc. [instead of Time],” blasted the group of 30-odd high schoolers in a Nov. 16 Facebook letter and petition — the latest exercise for the young women, who gather weekly to discuss social issues, incorporating them into acting exercises and plays. “Hmmm…’Great tactic, TIME!’ SAID NO ONE EVER.” The students’ petition urges Time to replace its suggestion of the F-word with terms “that are unfortunately just as popular, but 100 percent worthy of the axe,” including slut, whore, and FemiNazi — and it scored 450 signatures of support in just the first 24 hours.

"Seeing that 50 percent of people had voted that ‘feminist’ should be banned was infuriating," Darci Siegel, 16, tells Yahoo Parenting of the sentiments behind the group’s desire to draft the letter. "We thought, ‘What can we do?’ We want to show that the word is empowering to us."

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Time’s apology is little comfort to Siegel, a high school junior who is still seriously irked that the word hasn’t been deleted from the poll altogether. “At least they’ve brought more attention to the issue,” she says. “At the end of the day, what I really want is for more people to understand what feminism is. It’s not about women wanting to be more powerful than men. I want people to open their eyes and see what we’re asking for is to be equal.”

The group with Gloria Steinem (back row, third from left) in 2013. Photo courtesy of The Arts Effect.

Fellow feminist and troupe member Evelyn Benson tells Yahoo Parenting she was equally upset that Time seemed to target teenage girls. “It felt so much like an attack on the youth, so we thought if we used our supposed vocabulary to fight back in an educated way, it would show how we’re not just these dumb teenagers you think we are,” says the 15-year-old. “Yes, feminism has become a trend among teen girls, but Time is perpetuating the idea that we as youth are all just following a trend. They don’t realize we’ve already done so much.”

The group’s list of accomplishments in raising awareness of women’s issues is indeed impressive. The collaborative has written a play, “Slut: The Play,” inspired by real experiences of high school students; is publishing a companion book, SLUT: A Play and Guidebook for Combatting Sexism and Sexual Violence; and been honored by New York’s New Abolitionists for its part in the fight against human trafficking. 

After all of their efforts, “the girls felt Time’s poll was a slap in the face,” explains The Arts Effect NYC director, Katie Cappiello, who worked with the teens to promote their petition. “Here they are working hard every week, dedicating hours and hours of their time to fighting for the equality, safety, and health of others, and Time suggests banning a word that’s so crucial to their identity and empowers them to be activists? They were determined to speak out.”

That their message has gotten so much support so quickly is no surprise, Cappiello tells Yahoo Parenting. “I’m blown away by what the girls came up with. But then again, I always am!”