Words have power. They can inspire feelings of love, of hate, anger, joy, and everything in between. They can serve as a call to action. Sometimes they can even inspire a movement. When Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman,” he meant to hurt her and to get his followers riled up against her. He certainly didn’t expect his attempts at bullying his opponent would become a rallying cry against him. Self-proclaimed “nasty women” across the United States came together by the power of the internet. In the weeks before the election, we stood up against misogyny and proclaimed that nasty women vote.
On November 9th they proudly flocked to the polls–in pantsuits and in sweatsuits, many wearing white to honor their suffragist forebearers–and they voted. Many of them were confident that they had just voted to elect America’s first woman president (and one of the most qualified people to ever seek the office) That night, instead of seeing the highest and hardest glass ceiling in America broken, they watched as Americans elected misogyny and racism in the form of Donald Trump. Some of them numb, many of them angry, a group of Nasty Women found each other and decided to do something to combat the rising tide of Trumpism.
Stories have power. They can inspire people to action, and they can let people know that they aren’t alone. That is at the heart of the Nasty Women Project. Women from every state are telling their stories through essays and poetry, working under this mission statement:
The 2016 United States Presidential Election is the center of our story but not where our
narratives start or end.
The Nasty Women Book Project follows a diverse group of women sharing their tales of the
election as a catalyst.
An impetus to connect with one another and use our most genuine voices.
To look closely at our world.
To learn from our past and apply it to our future.
Our appreciation of each equal’s individuality and our will to stand in solidarity.
These are our stories of new and continued activism.
Our stories of discord and unity.
Of divides and bridges.
Of pain and empowerment and anger and solace and resistance.
Stories of American women.
Nasty Women
To find out more about their labor of love please visit: Nastywomenproject.com
Tweet them at @NastyWP
