I Am A Feminist Mother Photo Contest

Are you a feminist mother?

What does that look like?

c. Samantha Wilde/ self-portrait with laundry

In my new novel, I'LL TAKE WHAT SHE HAS, one of the main characters, Annie, the stay-at-home mother of two young children, is a self-proclaimed feminist. She's also in charge of a group of young high school aged budding feminists at the suburban Boston prep school where she teaches. Over the course of the novel, she struggles with her identity as a mother and a feminist, and it is based on her inspiration that I am challenging you and others to send a photograph of yourself as a "feminist mother."

My working definition for feminist is the simplest (and maybe most profound one) drawn from the dictionary: equality of the sexes. I want to help remove the stigma attached to the word feminist. It doesn't mean angry or man-hating or cold. As I've collected these photographs many interesting conversations have emerged. Here's my comedic response to some of the reactions:

As a novelist, I don't try to be political, but I am eager to write about the truth of women's lives, particularly the joy and the challenges of motherhood. My method is humor, but as most of us know, laughter comes when we recognize something true! I hope that my novels are affirmative, celebratory and freeing for mothers (and women and all people). My hope is that my books bring joy and enjoyment and a feeling of solidarity. It's important for mothers, especially, to know that their struggles are shared.

So please help me to gather a wide range of images of mothers of every kind from everywhere. Even if at first you feel a little shy of the term "feminist," think about the idea that a feminist is someone who supports women--personally I don't know a single mother who doesn't do that on a daily basis!

Please submit your photo for the I Am A Feminist Mother Photo Contest and Virtual Exhibit. Your pictures can be funny, serious, with children, without children, and contain any content that you feel expresses the statement: I Am A Feminist Mother. Get creative!

You can see all the photographs on my Pinterest board.

Each photo MUST have a sign somewhere in the image that is easy to read and says: I Am A Feminist Mother.

The winner will be chosen by viewers and will receive a signed copy of each one of my books. ALL contributors will make history by participating in the I Am A Feminist Mother Virtual Exhibit.

I am looking for every kind of mother! All ages! All stages of life! Take a picture of yourself, a friend, or your own mother.

When you submit your photograph, please send it by email to sam (at) samanthawilde (dot) com. Send it in the body of the email. The subject line must read: Photo Contest. In the body of the email please include: Your Name, the name of the photographer, contact information (can be an email), title, if the photograph has one, location where picture was taken, and if there is a story to your photograph, you may include that.

All photographs must be received by May 31. The winner will be voted on during the first weeks of June and the winner will be announced on this blog and contacted via email.

When you send the photograph, you are giving permission for me to display it on this blog, on my author Facebook site, on my website, and in other online venues, as well as to have it in a video montage on Youtube.

That's right, imagine a video of thousands of feminist mothers! It is almost too awesome! Please be a part of empowering mothers!

Share this with every feminist mother you know! And with all the mothers in your life; you never know who is a feminist! Let's see what we really look like!