Ruby Cline

Are you Girl Talking? Can you? Do you know how?

In primary school you may have been taught that ‘girl’ is a noun which you may or may not have been defined as. However, at Girl Talk we are absolutely insistent that you unlearn that nonsense!

Let’s break it down. What is Girl Talking?

How to Girl Talk: a step-by-step guide

1. Anyone can Girl Talk.

Girl Talk, confusingly, is not girls talking. We don’t care who is speaking (though we recommend taking care about which groups you might be speaking on or for). The important bit is what is being said.

The great thing about emotional honesty and feminist intent is that anyone can take up these properties if they try hard enough. Of course, it is vital to understand and acknowledge the background and experiences you are Talking from. In order to truly embody feminist intent, recognise the position from which you are Talking and keep that in mind as you do.

Girl Talk takes submissions from all self-identifying women and people of marginalised genders.

2. A respite from ‘rationality’.

Girl Talk is not a construction of formal logic. Too often, particularly in Cambridge, marginalised groups feel obliged to rationalise their experiences in order to justify an emotional response. To Girl Talk is to do away with the necessity to perpetually explain oneself. We trust you. We believe you.

This isn’t to say that explanation has no purpose. There have been amazing Girl Talk articles delving deep into cultural phenomena and emotional experiences in a cutting and analytical way. This is not a bad thing, at all. Girl Talk simply does not require a justification. You don’t need to explain why you are compelled to Girl Talk.

In some ways, we all are.

3. Speak with good intent.

Girl Talk is built on trust. Trust us to have good faith in our platforming, our writing, and our events. We trust you to Talk with the aim of making the world a better place and expressing yourself with emotional honesty.

If there is anything you think we could do better, tell us! We are trying our best, and we hope you are too. Together we can construct a space for Girl Talkers throughout Cambridge, and form a damn good community too.

4. What does ‘feminist intent’ look like?

We are not here to tell you how to do feminism. We hope that some of our writing will offer tools to think about how you can and do act in feminist ways, but (ironically, given this article) we are not a guide on how to act and we don’t intend to be.

However, there are certain questions which can guide whether you are Talking with feminist intent:

• Who is your intended audience? What would you like them to take away from your piece?
• Are you writing to express yourself? Surprise? Inform? Impress?
• Are you considering the marginalisedgroups who may or have been affected by what you are Talking about? What might the impact of your Girl Talk be on these groups?

See? It’s absolutely possible for anybody to Girl Talk. We hope you want to Girl Talk as much as we do, both with us and in your daily life.

If you’re feeling ready to Girl Talk, follow our Instagram (@cambridgegirltalk) and our Facebook page (Cambridge Girl Talk) to check out our weekly commissions and get some inspiration. We’re also hosting pub socials, society collaborations, and writing rooms throughout the year. If you have a unique piece or idea you want to Girl Talk about DM us or email us (cambridgegirltalk@gmail.com) – we’d love to hear from you.

Happy Girl Talking!

Feature image credit: Pinterest