Facebook changed its profile format (again) recently.  There was an option right after they unveiled the new format to switch over, but I was in no hurry to do so.  After a few weeks of urging me to switch over like all my friends had the powers that be at Facebook just took it upon themselves to do it for me.  Unfortunately, even after my unrequested update Facebook still left a banner across the top of my page urging me to add additional information.

Last weekend I noticed on the ever annoying Facebook banner that the quest of the day was to encourage me to add information in the philosophy section about folks who inspire me.  Well, having just written a blog about the fierceness of Claudia Pratt, the local artist with stage 4 cancer who is chronicling her days to her 50th birthday via an interactive art display at the Green Market, I thought I would capitulate to Facebook’s nagging and note on my profile that I am inspired by fierce girls.

Well, Facebook didn’t recognize that entry – they just attached one of their nondescript placeholder icons to my words as if I had created something new…as if fierce girls were an unknown quantity.  I have to say I was a little miffed.  Okay…I was a lot miffed.  So I did what any fierce girl in my situation would do – I started a Fierce Girls Facebook group and added my fierce girl friends.  Here is the group description: “In Facebook’s philosophy section there is a place to list who inspires you – I wrote Fierce Girls and it pulled up a placeholder – it didn’t even recognize the existence of Fierce Girls…it became immediately clear that it was time for a revolution.”

So over the past week my fierce girl friends have added some of their fierce girl friends and the group continues to grow.  You have to be added to the group by a fierce girl that is already a member or click on the group to request membership  (or email me on Facebook)  – that is a byproduct of my limited Facebook skills but so far it has worked just fine.   Please note that this is a fierce girls only group – and while we appreciate the support of all who believe in the power of fierce girls  – we are a girls only group. And in the event that you are put-off by my use of the term “girls” as opposed to women – I want you to know that I am purposeful in my use of girls.  Girls are entitled to be fierce from the moment they enter the world; yet, there have long been fairly confining expectations of girls’ behavior.  The world tends to tolerate fierce women more as a nod to their age and maturity – I don’t like that message.  Being fierce is a characteristic that girls are entitled to own as much as boys and I personally refuse to confine myself and my daughters to the notion that fierceness becomes acceptable with age – the hell with that!

I have always said that I don’t fancy myself as being defined as a feminist or as being part of the feminist revolution.  Alas, more and more I do believe that definition may be applicable to me as I want girls to live to the maximum of their potential and within their own truth without being limited by societal expectations of what “girl” means.  So yeah, perhaps by definition I am indeed a feminist, but as far as labels go the one that I will carry with pride is Fierce Girl…welcome to the revolution. 😉

Day five hundred and sixty-six of the new forty – obla di obla da

Ms. C