Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future (2000)
On October 4, 2000 Baumgardner and Amy Richards published their first co-authored book Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future. Speaking directly to young third wave feminists, Baumgardner and Richards wrote the book to inspire women of the current generation to consciously embrace the liberation of today while remembering the work of previous feminist generations, writing: [10]
Consciousness among women is what caused this [change], and consciousness, one's ability to open their (sic) mind to the fact that male domination does affect the women of our generation, is what we need... The presence of feminism in our lives is taken for granted. For our generation, feminism is like fluoride. We scarcely notice we have it—it's simply in the water. [11]
Prologue: A Day Without Feminism In the prologue of Manifesta, the two authors recall the most vital achievements of women's liberation, which can be credited to the 2nd Wave of Feminists of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Both of the authors, Baumgardner and Richards, were profoundly influenced by feminism from an early age, as both of their mothers took part in consciousness-raising groups, and Baumgardner's went even further to participate in the staged laundry strikes. So both of these authors are asking the audience to figuratively jump on a time machine and go back to the 1970s for a day. The purpose of this is to see exactly what the 2nd Wave feminists have succeeded in changing in a male-dominant patriarchal society, and what so many now take for granted - including the 3rd Wave feminists.
Throughout the book the authors traces feminism's evolution from the First Wave suffragette movement to the Third Wave feminism of today, all the while encouraging readers to continue the feminist fight of previous generations. [12]
Who are feminists and what is feminism?
Baumgardner and Richards [13] ask the fundamental but often overlooked questions, "who are the feminists?" and "what is feminism?" They cut to the foundational questions framing contemporary and past feminist movements in order to expose the stereotypes, inaccuracies, or misconceptions that derail and devalue the movement. This goal not only contributes to an established canon of third-wave feminist literature, but also makes the movement more appealing to young women who are misled by negative or stereotypical media and popular culture representations of feminism. They start with foundational definitions of what feminism means to them, invoking politically and socially conscious women and men. They clarify that there is no one formal alliance composed of "the feminists," but instead, feminism is a fluid alliance among individual citizens. This definition displays the differences between how a movement may appear on the surface—cohesive and homogeneous—and how it actually is internally. This disparity may be positive, and lend weight to feminist struggles, but it may also be negative, when the movement as a whole is judged based on the actions of one or a few individual(s). The authors argue that the latter disparity demonstrates the oppressed status of women and feminist activists, as a whole group is easily reduced to one or a few individuals, particularly in media, which disseminates this incomplete illusion.
The authors use matter of fact language to address their next question: what exactly is feminism? Feminism is not only a movement for social, political, and economic equality among men and women, but also requires the freedom to access information and education. Race and ethnicity are key to the modern feminist movement. This natural partnership also invokes the fight for gay rights. Feminism involves men and women of diverse ethnicities and sexual orientations united with the goal to liberate all individuals. It is a movement with the very clear goals of social and political change. This change is epitomized by engagement with government and the law, in addition to broader societal norms and practices. Beyond this foundational definition of feminism, there exists ample elasticity for women to define feminism according to their personal experiences. Because the lived experiences of women are so diverse, feminism itself must accommodate for these differences.
However, because of this fluidity, some modern women in prominent leadership positions have uneasy public relationships with feminism. The authors cite the example of G. E. executive Sam Allison, who sits on the board of The Women's Center in Milwaukee, and claims that she is not a feminist, she is just an "advocate to end violence against women." The modern-day example would be Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg proclaiming that her book, Lean In, "is not a feminist manifesto — okay, it is sort of a feminist manifesto" (Hoedel, 2013, para. 10 [14] ). These are two examples of the authors' assertions that issues separated from their feminist roots become depoliticized, and the fundamental causes of a particular societal problem are obscured. For example, the problem for Sandberg is an absence of women "leaning in" to positions of workplace leadership. This and other issues of economic development need to unequivocally identified as feminist issues in order to be dealt with equitably and effectively.
Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics (2007)
On February 20, 2007, Baumgardner published Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics, the first book written without Amy Richards. In Look Both Ways, Baumgardner takes a close look at the growing visibility of gay and bisexual characters, performers, and issues on the national cultural stage. Despite the prevalence of bisexuality among Generation X and Y women, she finds that it continues to be marginalized by both gay and straight cultures, and dismissed either as a phase or a cop-out. Woven in between her cultural commentary, Baumgardner discusses her own experience as a bisexual, and the struggle she's undergone to reconcile the privilege she's garnered as a woman who is perceived as straight and the empowerment and satisfaction she's derived from her relationships with women. [16]
The book was both embraced [17] , and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature. [18]
