An Updated "Killjoy Survival Kit"
By: Olivia Greco
In her book Living a Feminist Life, Sara Ahmed introduces us to the concept of a killjoy survival kit. In short Ahmed basically embraces the idea of being a killjoy feminist, and honestly after reading her book so do I. But calling out misogynic comments and shutting down foul jokes can take a toll on all of us hardworking feminists. Ahmed defines the killjoy survival kit as a “form of feminist self-care”. It is composed of all the things feminists carry around both figuratively and literally to make their job as a killjoy just a little bit easier. Ahmed does a great job at describing what is in hers, everything ranging from books to a good sense of humor. But as the idea of feminism has changed, and there are new battles to face I introduce to you guys the newly updated gen-z killjoy survival kit.
A diverse group of other killjoys…intersectionality is key: a tough lesson I had to learn was that I, unfortunately, cannot be 100% knowledgeable on every subject. So, this is where having a diverse group of people comes into play. We build off each other experiences and offer ideas, and new perspectives making our feminist arguments just that much stronger. It is okay to not know everything because luckily there are other people who can pick up where you lack. Having a support group is also great for those days where you just need to complain. Nothing feels better than that mid-day rant to a group of friends when your boss makes a vaguely sexist comment that you just do not have the energy to fight him on.
A badass feminist book: Luckily, we are past the age of Betty Freidan’s Feminist Mystic, and there are actual good feminist books out there. This type of literature is what gives me the drive to keep going on those days where fighting the patriarchy seems like someone else’s issues to handle. Christine Jahnke’s book The Well-Spoken Women Speaks Out gave me the drive to become a killjoy feminist. She teaches valuable lessons on how to fight against inequality but also addresses how to get around the stereotypes outspoken women face. You can either pick up a copy of my favorite, or find your own, but the lessons taught in feminist books make being a killjoy so worth it.
A life outside being a killjoy: I like to believe that being a killjoy is not a 24/7 job, some people might disagree, but I think I do my best work with a little rest and unpaid time off. It is okay to not be the perfect killjoy every moment of the day, you need time to just let life go on, the patriarchy won’t take over if you stop to smell the roses once in a while. Take time to remember why you are a killjoy, reflect on the past and improvement you have made, looking back makes it easier to move forward. There is no need for job burnout in the field of feminism because there are no retirement parties for us.
A sense of humor: This is included in Ahmed’s survival kit, but I think it is important to add it to mine. Life is way too short to spend it seriously. It is okay to laugh and find the humor in things that might be going wrong in our lives. It is too hard to be angry at everything and living most of your life outraged is less than ideal. So, go and dance around your kitchen with your friends, laugh at bad jokes, and scroll through tik tok for hours. But do not allow yourself to spend your life angry.
Lastly, a kick-ass feminist playlist: Like every great movie, killjoys deserve some good background music. So please blast a Miley or Beyonce album and remind yourself that yes you are a killjoy, but you can be a badass while doing it.