Attn’s recent, solid profile on one of America’s foremost feminist media critics begins, “Anita Sarkeesian has seen the worst of the internet.” It’s a bit of an understatement.
For doing no more than pointing out the bubbling misogyny of the video-game industry, the troupes in its products, and the attitudes of a great many of the male-dominated gamer communities surrounding it, she’s fielded harassment online and in real life, seen her private details shared with the world, and even suffered death threats. Gamergate—the movement and controversy that hounded her for simply saying what any open eyes can see—treated her in a way that could brake many people.
But unbroken, Sarkeesian has just dropped one of her most impressive projects ever and, much to the chagrin of Gamergaters, is gearing up to be more visible than ever. Ordinary Women, her new video series about anything-but-ordinary history makers, looks to celebrate and amplify the life stories of underrepresented women we all should know. Subjects include activist editor Ida B. Wells, Ching Shih (a pirate!), and revolutionary Emma Goldman, whose episode you can see below.
As Sarkeesian told Attn, the concept of the series is, “that there’s all these women who have done amazing, extraordinary things who are just fascinating individuals, whether you agree or disagree with their philosophies and their political positions. And it’s like, “Why don’t we know about them?’” It’s a knowledge gap that Ordinary Women is thoughtfully, addictively filling.
To learn more about the project and Sarkeesian’s thoughts on a bushel of issues, check out the Attn article here and watch the episode on Emma Goldman below.