Sisters Are Doing It For Each Other

I've written before about weird women, and my terrifyingly awesome female friends, and girl crushes, and all many of girl/women-related hoo-ha. This website is virtually awash in estrogen, just streaming through the intertubes in an attempt to girly up the cybernauts (or something?). Unlike the internet's collective spazz attack about Wired's first-ever cover girl, I'm totally down with women on the web. Remember Dot from Reboot (that show was indisputably bad-ass, by the way)? Like that, but less green.

Last week I stumbled on some girl's blog entry from 2006 detailing all her heroines, a concept that I'm super enamored with...except her girl heroes were all models and actresses. No female fashion designers, no lady writers, no powerful CEOesses. I know that a certain young-women demographic are more likely to be into Sofia Coppola than Sofia Kovalevskaya, which is a legitimate stance to be taking and I'm not judging or anything. But the fact that most of the famous women out there are lauded because they're pretty or do interesting things in front of a camera is kind of sucky.

In the spirit of expanding that which women can be considered awesome for, I propose the inaugural Kaitlyn Kochany Awards for Lady Awesomeness. Aiming to explode the categories in which women are usually celebrated - being professionally good-looking - I'd venture forth with a series of other, less usual categories. What do these women win? A healthy admiration from yours truly and, if they ever come to Toronto, a burger and beer from a bistro of their choice. Who could say no to that?!

So over the next few weeks, I'll be lauding the ladies I feel are leading the way for a new generation of creative types. The writers and fashion designers, the politicas and the producers, the drag queens and activists. I'll try to avoid the women who've risen to fame through the deeds of their husbands/lovers - no Jessica Seinfelds, thanks. Maybe some women in the entertainment industry, because hey - we're all basically obsessed with that anyway! But there are plenty of women who create nuggets of pop culture who can retain their sense of integrity.

Join me as a I walk their streets, read their blog posts, and ignore the models and "actresses" who make their living pimping out the female form without doing anything to advance a woman's mind. As the song says, sisters are doing it for themselves - so let's toss our bras in the air, light our Capri cigarettes, and dance til we get gray hairs.