"Alright, sisterhood!"

I went to the mall today with my mom and sister, and we ended up in Barnes and Noble, as we often do. My mom was looking at magazines, and I tagged along, expecting to pick up a military mag (one of the few kinds of magazines I read), and I stumbled across something even better. Copies of Ms. and Bitch Magazines.

I was unduly excited, because, believe it or not, I have never actually read a single issue of either magazine. I have read about them, but having a copy in my hands was amazing. Reading Gloria Steinem's article "Sex, Lies, & Advertising" about the struggles that Ms. Magazine faced is actually what I consider to be my "click moment" as a feminist.

I had to put the magazines down, though, because I didn't even have enough money for one copy. So I contented myself with wandering about the rest of the bookstore with my sister. It was my lucky day, though, because my mom was nice and bought me a copy of Ms.

When I put the copy of the magazine on the counter, the cashier immediately said that that it was great to see a young woman reading Ms. Her reaction sparked a conversation about feminism, and my mom (thanks, mom!) dropped a line about the Female Impersonator blog. The cashier asked for the blog address, which I happily gave her. It was great running into someone who seemed very able to appreciate my passion and my activism.

Thanks, Karen V., from Barnes and Noble. You made my day.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some reading to do.