Here we are : feminism for the real world

LET'S GET THE FEMINIST PARTY STARTED!



Have you ever wanted to be a superheroine? Join a fandom? Create the perfect empowering playlist? Understand exactly what it means to be a feminist in the twenty-first century? You've come to the right place.



Forty-four writers, dancers, actors, and artists contribute essays, lists, poems, comics, and illustrations about everything from body positivity to romance to gender identity to intersectionality to the greatest girl friendships in fiction. Together, they share diverse perspectives on and insights into what feminism means and what it looks like. Come on in, turn the pages, and be inspired to find your own path to feminism by the awesome individuals in Here We Are.



Welcome to one of the most life-changing parties around!

• Introduction p. x
• Chapter 1 Starting the Journey p. 1
• Forever Feminist p. 2 Malinda Lo
• What Does "Feminism" Mean? A Brief History of the Word, from Its Beginnings All the Way up to the Present p. 7 Suzannah Weiss
• Feminist Songs to Sing Along To p. 12 Kody Keplinger
• Bad Feminist: Take Two p. 13 Roxane Gay
• FAQs about Feminism p. 17
• Privilege p. 18 Matt Nathanson
• Chapter 2 Body and Mind p. 22
• The Monster Book of Questions and Answers p. 24 Anne Thériault
• The Big Blue Ocean and My Big Fat Body p. 30 Angie Manfredi
• Ten Amazing Scientists p. 33 Anne Thériault
• Pretty Enough p. 34 Alida Nugent
• So I Guess This Is Growing Up p. 38 Liz Prince
• I Have Always Eaten the Bread p. 41 Lily Myers
• Bad Hair Day p. 46 Stasia Burrington
• Dragging Myself into Self-love p. 47 Constance Augusta Zaber
• Chapter 3 Gender, Sex, and Sexuality p. 52
• The Likability Rule p. 54 Courtney Summers
• Broken Body, Worthless Girl, and Other Lies I Called the Truth p. 59 Kayla Whaley
• FAQs about Feminism p. 64
• All the Bodies p. 65 Rafe Posey
• Do Female Black lives Matter Too? p. 70 Amandla Stenberg
• Judgments p. 71 Pomona Lake
• An Interview with Laverne Cox: "I Absolutely Consider Myself a Feminist" p. 72 Tricia Romano
• Feminism Is as Feminism Does p. 76 Mia and Michaela DePrince
• Chapter 4 Culture and Pop Culture p. 86
• Somewhere in America p. 88 Zaxiya Allen
• Choose Your Own Adventure: Why Fandom Is Eight for You (Yes, You!) p. 92 Brenna Clarke Gray
• Drawing for Inspiration p. 98 Michelle Hiraishi
• FAQs about Feminism p. 100
• Facets of Feminism p. 101 Mikki Kendall
• Opportunity p. 105 Risa Rodil
• Top 10 List of Black Female Friends p. 106 Brandy Colbert
• Don't Cash Crop on My Cornrows p. 108 Amandla Stenberg
• A Conversation about Girls' Stories and Girls' Voices with Laurie Halse Anderson and Courtney Summers p. 111 Kelly Jensen
• Chapter 5 Relationships p. 120
• Girl lessons p. 122 Sarah McCarry
• The Princess and the Witch p. 127 Wendy Xu
• Corny Won't Kill Your Cred: Rearview Mirror Reflections on Feminism and Romance p. 134 Siobhan Vivian
• Great Girl Friendships in Fiction p. 139 Sarah McCarry
• Faith and the Feminist p. 140 Kaye Mirza
• Bechdel Test p. 146
• In Search of Sisterhood by Brandy Colbert p. 147
• A Feminist love p. 154 Jessica Luther
• Chapter 6 Confidence and Ambition p. 158
• The "Nice Girl" Feminist p. 160 Ashley Rope Pérez
• 5 Tips for "Nice Girl" Feminists p. 167 Ashley Hope Pérez
• Shrinking Women p. 168 Lily Myers
• Dear Teen Me: It Would Have Changed Everything; It Would Have Changed Nothing p. 170 Erika T. Wurth
• FAQs about Feminism p. 173
• A Thousand Paper Cuts p. 174 Shveta Thakrar
• The Win That Comes from losing p. 180 Wendy Davis
• Chapter 7 Go Your Own Way p. 184
• Many Stories, Many Roads p. 186 Daniel José Older
• That's What She Became p. 190 Jen Talley
• Reading Worthy Women p. 191 Nova Ren Suma
• Six Great Comics by Women, about Women, for Everyone p. 200 Brenna Clarke Gray
• FAQs about Feminism p. 201
• The Choice Is Yours p. 202 Kody Keplinger
• A Guide to Being a Teenage Superheroine p. 206 Allison Peyton Steger and Rebecca Sexton
• Don't Peak in High School p. 212 Mindy Kaling
• Owning My Feminism p. 215 Kelly Jensen
• Intersectional Rosie the Riveter p. 218 Tyler Feder
• Acknowledgments p. 219
• Further Reading p. 220
• Contributor Bios p. 222
• Copyrights p. 227