[This was originally posted on September 9, 2009]

Ani DiFranco has been my hero since the seventh grade, and some of the best relationships in my life have evolved from a mutual love of the little folksinger.  I could list 100 reasons to love her, but music aside, these snippets of her politics should give you some insight into the worldview of one of the most outspoken (and idolized) feminists of the modern era.

1. On feminism today:

“When I do many interviews and I’m faced with the is feminism really relevant anymore question … I’m sort of trying to put [it] out there more than ever now [that] our idea of feminism has stagnated and almost been abandoned by many, many people at a time when we should have evolved it. It should be embraced by men and women. I mean why don’t we call ourselves feminists? Young women don’t even [call themselves feminists] anymore, let alone women and men; and instead of feminism as equal pay for equal work – okay, we got that – but try to understand it as a consciousness shift. We have to use feminism all together as a tool to dismantle patriarchies so that all of us together can rise.”

2. On patriarchy in world politics:

“It’s the elephant in the room.  As I get older, I really understand peace to be a product of balance. And there’s a fundamental imbalance inherent in patriarchy. Unless you have a dynamic interplay between the sensibilities of the two sexes, you can never create peace. It’s impossible.”

3. On the power of the people:

“I’m still very optimistic for the potential of grass roots change. I still see and feel it out there. It’s what allows me to get up in the morning, the immense possibility that exists all around us right now… We don’t need to change the world. The world is changing around us. We just need to direct that change. And our power to direct it is immense once we use it.”

Click here for 7 more reasons to love Ani

Law & Order: SVU has quickly become my newest obsession (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Thank you Netflix Instant queue! – I should get paid for this), and I have been thrilled to learn that actress Mariska Hargitay is every bit as awesome as her character, Detective Olivia Benson, who could probably fill a 10 Reasons of her own.

1. She’s got her head on straight when it comes to body image:

“I’m a size 8, and I feel proud of that because it’s healthy.  I’ve never felt compelled to be a skinny actress.  I think I’m a very attractive person, but that’s not where I get my esteem.  A guy at ABC told me to change my name and get a nose job.  I said, ‘You get a nose job.’”

2. Although SVU is often challenging, it has inspired her.

“It’s opened my eyes to the plight of victims. And helped me find new ways to make a difference in the world. Without SVU, I would’ve never started the Joyful Heart Foundation.”

3. Yeah, about that Joyful Heart thing…

“I used to call myself the “accidental activist.”  No more.  I have fully engaged in this mission.  It is part of my path, one of the reasons I am here.”

4. She is proud of her character.

“I thought the character was extremely complex and would be a challenge for me as an actor. The second I read the script, I was drawn to Olivia’s strength, passion, humanity, and her desire for change. But what most intrigued me was her past and how she could use it to help others face theirs.”

Click here for 6 more reasons to love Mariska

Although I never expected to fall for Gaga, I must say that she has won me over somehow.  I’m not the only one who is somewhat mystified by just how she charms us, but the following quotes are a window into what pushed me over the edge.

1. She’s a strong individual, and she wants you to be, too.

“When I say to you, there is nobody like me, and there never was, that is a statement I want every woman to feel and make about themselves… I know my greatness is individual. And I want every woman to be able to say that.”

2. She knows who she is and is proud of it.

“There is never a moment that you see me that I’m not working towards something creatively. For me, it’s very simple: I’m not going to allow you to portray me in a way that is your idea of what you think I am. I know who I am and — praise the Lord! — I’m a real artist. Why is this a bad thing?”

3. She’s an outspoken ally of the LGBT community (who spoke at a Washington rally) and is open about her own sexuality as well.

“I don’t think being gay or being bisexual or being sexually free is anything that should be hidden. Everybody has a right to their secrecy, of course, but I don’t feel particularly shy about it. It is who I am.”

4. She’s known for her fashion choices, but she really knows how to accessorize.

“I think we must all remember that the ultimate accessory is the condom.”

6 more reasons to go gaga for Gaga after the jump

1. She values health for health’s sake, not for beauty’s sake.

“Women in particular need to keep an eye on their physical and mental health, because if we’re scurrying to and from appointments and errands, we don’t have a lot of time to take care of ourselves. We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.”

2. She believes in the importance of identity.

“One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don’t invest any energy in them, because I know who I am.”

3. She understands the difficulty inherent in being a working mother…

“The work-life balance is a harsh reality for so many women, who are forced every day to make impossible choices. Do they take their kids to the doctor…and risk getting fired? Do they work weekends so they can afford to send their kids to better childcare…even though it means even less time with their families? Do they take another shift at work, so they can pay for piano lessons for their kids…even though it means they have to stop volunteering for the PTA? It just shouldn’t be this difficult to raise healthy families.”

4. …and what that “personal is political” phrase is all about.

“Policies that support families aren’t political issues.  They’re personal.  They’re the causes I carry with me every single day.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Diablo Cody is like a Rorschach test for feminists.  Some women love her for being brilliant, courageous, subversive, and vocal; some women hate her for being trendy, scandalous, irritating, and loud.  Make of her what you will, I have a special place in my heart for any woman willing to rock animal prints as frequently as Ms. Cody does.

1. She uses the F-word fearlessly.

“My feminist hat is permanently welded to my head—I definitely can’t take it off! It’s so important for me to write things from the female perspective and in service of women and in the right roles for women. That’s usually what I’m thinking going into it. Obviously, the story goes first. But then my next priority is how am I going to sneak my subversive feminist message into this?”

2. She has priorities.

“I want to write roles that service women. I want to tell stories from a female perspective. I want to create good parts for actresses where they’re not just accessories to men…”

3. She calls ‘em like she sees ‘em.

“The attitude toward women in this industry is nauseating. There are all sorts of porcine executives who are uncomfortable with a woman doing anything subversive. They want the movie about the beautiful girl who trips and falls, the adorable klutz.”

Click here for 6 more reasons to love Diablo

1. She hates stereotyping films by gender.

“I hate that term chick flick. It’s the kind of remark that is keeping women in film down. This identification is hurting women’s inclusion into cinema. Don’t minimize movies that aren’t male driven.”

2. She felt as empowered acting in and training for Kill Bill as we did watching it.

“I think it’s sort of thrilling.  I think particularly as a female, you’re taught to be defensive your whole life. You’re taught not to be aggressive. ‘Don’t start a fight, girl, because you’re going down.’”

3. She isn’t afraid of movies with social messages, such as the upcoming “Girl Soldier.”

“This is a film that had to get made.  It’s beyond me that in this day and age the exploitation of child soldiers goes virtually unnoticed and unchecked by Western media.”

Click for 7 more reasons to love Uma

It might be more of a challenge to think of 10 reasons not to love Ellen Page.  Her roles in Hard Candy, Juno, X-Men 3, and the upcoming Whip It get us about halfway there, but let’s let Ellen speak for herself.

1. She’s not afraid of the f-word.

“I call myself a feminist when people ask me if I am, and of course I am ’cause it’s about equality, so I hope everyone is. You know you’re working in a patriarchal society when the word feminist has a weird connotation. “Hippie” has a weird connotation. “Liberal” has a weird connotation.”

2. She loves the empowered characters she’s played as much as we do.

“I feel like I’ve been really, really lucky to play the roles I’ve gotten to play because whole, honest roles for young women don’t often exist. People will be like, ‘Whoa, you’re such a feminist! You play such young, strong women.’ It’s like, if I was a guy, you wouldn’t be saying that to me. If I was a guy you wouldn’t be saying, ‘Wow, you play such strong young male roles.’ The question wouldn’t exist…”

Click here for 8 more reasons to love Ellen

I’ve always enjoyed collecting quotes, jotting them down in journals, bookmarks, and notebooks to peruse at my leisure or consult for encouragement later.  In my search for blurbs to highlight in the regular Quick Quotes posted here, sometimes I come across a celeb with too many gems to choose from.  This happy dilemma has led to the development of another regular feature: 10 Reasons to Love… Enjoy!

1. She’s down with love.

“I’m not complicated, I sing about love in all its shapes, forms and colors. I speak my mind, I sing about everyday stuff such as homosexuality and sadly the homophobia that always comes with it.”

2. She’s not afraid to stand up for what she believes in.

“The way I was raised by my Dad, who is a Vietnam veteran, was to stand up for myself and to thine own self be true and, you know, sometimes you have to stand alone for what you believe in. At the end of the day, if you can look yourself in the mirror, that’s really all that matters.”

3. She’s patriotically political.

“I love being an American. I love the fact that I can write songs like this. I have the right to speak my opinion. And be heard. And I feel like more people need to do that. And I have a laundry list of questions for the leaders of this country.”

4. She supports gay marriage.

“Why are we concentrating on taking away love from people? Who are we to say we need less love in the world? It’s so beyond what we should be focusing on right now.”

Click here for 6 more reasons to love P!NK

1. When asked to describe herself, she responds:

“A bit of a feminist.”

2.  She loves Hermione as much as we do:

“I love her! I couldn’t ask for a better character to play. She’s a bit of a rebel. I think Hermione is a really good role model. She’s not scared to be herself. She’s kind of the brains behind the operation and she’s always part of the action, bossing the guys around.”

3. She tries to be down to earth despite her fame:

“I think I’m doing OK. I hope my head doesn’t get big, I’m just going to keep my feet on the ground, stick with my friends and family, and try to lead a normal life.”

Click here for 7 more reasons to love Emma