In response to Jezebel.com's $10,000 bounty for pre-retouched photos of director & actress Lena Dunham, we have set up this project to raise $10,000 to be donated to the promotion of women rather than the sensationalizing of their bodies. We feel that this sort of body-centric "exposé" is distracting from real, positive, productive work and awareness. Sensationalizing bodies distracts from creating change. There is much else that can be done to promote women's leadership, education, and self esteem. We hope to help re-center the conversation on positive change and away from in-fighting among supporters of feminism.
Rather than contribute page views (and therefore, ad revenue dollars) to a website that admits to spending $10,000 digging up pre-retouched photos of an actress with the purpose of publicly inspecting her body, we hope that you will give directly to Step Up women's network via this fund. Any amount is appreciated, and your support of Step Up can make a big difference to women and girls who have ambition but lack sufficient resources.
100% of the money raised here will be given to Step Up. We are not directly affiliated with Step Up, and they are not involved with this Indiegogo project beyond being the promised recipient. We have notified them of our intent.
NOTE: YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO SELECT ONE OF THE PERKS IN THE COLUMN TO THE RIGHT. YOU MAY GIVE ANY AMOUNT YOU CHOOSE BY CLICKING "CONTRIBUTE NOW" AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE.
Step Up is on the cutting edge of women's social philanthropy. The organization's strength stems from the members' ability to leverage their personal and professional skills and relationships to give back to the community. Programs are designed to engage women in a way that inspires a life-long commitment to responsible, philanthropic involvement encompassing hands-on volunteer work and leadership opportunities. "Invest, Involve and Inspire" is their motto. (
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Step Up's Mission:
"The mission of Step Up is to propel girls from under-resourced communities to fulfill their potential by empowering them to become confident, college-bound, career-focused and ready to join the next generation of professional women." For more information about Step Up women's network, please visit
SUWN.orgInfinite thanks for support go to Lena Dunham, Christian Siriano, Alyssa Milano, Martha Plimpton, Mena Suvari, Meghan McCain, Stacy London, Aidy Bryant, and the many bloggers and tweeters who have spread the message about this campaign.
Interested in supporting more women's organizations? Check out the following:
Sylvia Rivera Law Project:
http://srlp.org
Girls for Gender Equity:
http://www.ggenyc.org
Girls Educational & Monitoring Services:
http://www.gems-girls.org/
Grl Pwr:
http://www.grl-pwr.com
She's The First:
http://www.shesthefirst.org