Commentary

Elle.com Launches 'Fired-Up,' Explores Women's Rage, Political Action Nationwide

The 2016 election sparked a groundswell of action from women in the United States. Nearly a year and a half later, activism remains energized.

Yesterday, it was reported that a group of 180 female executives from the advertising world would join forces for Time’s Up/Advertising, partnering with Time’s Up, formed by women in the entertainment world. Also, Vice has hired A+E Networks chief Nancy Dubuc as CEO to replace cofounder/CEO Shane Smith, following the media company’s pledge to foster a more welcoming workplace for women.

In that spirit, Elle.com has launched a weeklong editorial series called “Fired-Up,” featuring a series of interviews, essays, videos and features that explore how women’s rage and activism have evolved since the 2016 election.

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The series includes an essay from Alyssa Milano, who pens a #METoo letter to her daughter, and a conversation between Patrisse Cullors and Tarana Burke, founders of Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, called “Anger, Activism and Action.” The story features a video of the two women talking and a printed interview.

Elle.com also partnered with SurveyMonkey to get a better idea of where that rage is coming from and how women are using it to promote political action in the country. Elle.com surveyed a sample of 5,101 adults, 2,663 of them women.

The survey discovered Democratic women are the angriest, with 76% of Democratic women reporting themselves enraged compared to 57% of American women that took part. A whopping 74% of women encounter news every day that makes them angry. When polled on specific topics that make them angry, Donald Trump, gun control, fake news and school shootings top the list.

Additionally, 23% of Republican women versus 7% of Democratic women believe people should bottle up their political feelings rather than share them. However, 78% of all women respondents report they were involved in at least one political movement supporting women’s issues.

Some 62% of all women surveyed believe #MeToo will lead to real and lasting change.

In an intro to the series, editor Mattie Kahn writes: “The events of these past months hadn’t just made us furious; they’d banded us (or at least the “us” who didn’t vote for Donald Trump) in coalition.”

The series reveals a chorus of voices that won’t be silenced or forgotten. The survey numbers suggest that the world has shifted — and more change is coming.

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