Women's foundation:  feminism is not hateful

By Katie Beers, the Daily Targum, October 10, 2005

Though the national organization existed since the 1970s, the National Organization for Women Foundation was brought to the University last semester.

Members of the National Organization for Women Foundation take action to bring the women's rights movement to Rutgers College.  NOW is the largest women's rights organization in the United States, with more than 500,000 members nationwide.

"I started the Rutgers chapter of NOW because I wanted to give the feminist community an outlet where they could meet and organize," said Katie Blouse, founding president and Rutgers College junior.  "What's really unique about this organization is that it's the only feminist group directly affiliated with Rutgers College."

NOW worked with Tent State University last spring against the war in Iraq and works toward funding higher education.

"Our goal is to ultimately join diverse groups together," Blouse said, "People have all these perceptions of what feminist groups are supposed to look like -- we're trying to change that."

The word "feminism" stereotypically conjures images of man-hating extremists seeking not just equanimity but domination, Blouse said.

The focus of NOW, however, isn't on extremism but education on women's rights and feminist causes in general.

"The organization is devoted to furthering women's rights through education and litigation," according to the NOW Foundation's Web site.

"We don't just deal with typical feminist issues," Blouse said.  "We've focused on the inclusion of women of color, queer rights and body image as well."

Body image is NOW's current focal point, as October represents "Love Your Body Month."

The month is dedicated to combating the harmful physical standards placed on women of contemporary society, Blouse said.

In honor of this, NOW plans to host a special Oct. 18 screening of North Country, a film starring Charlize Theron that catalogues the first recorded sexual harassment case.

The group also plans to hold a defense seminar on Oct. 26 for the University community to attend.

NOW holds meetings every Thursday at 9 p.m. in Room 411C of the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus.

The group's message is extremely accessible to the greater University community, Blouse said.  For detailed information on these events or any upcoming events, visit the Web site www.NOW.org.