Back in the 1920's American women who were fighting for women's right to vote referred to themselves as suffragists, just as the voting rights activists of the mid-1800's had. Those earlier activists, some of whom started the Republican Party, made voting rights for African-Americans and all women part of their campaign. They saw women's right to vote just as important as that of blacks'. Virtually all of the men caved when it came to the actual wording of the 15th amendment itself. Although, because sex wasn't mentioned until the second paragraph, some constitutional lawyers of that era argued that it did give women the right to vote. Therefore Susan B. Anthony and thousands of women did attempt to register and vote in the election of 1872. One case, Minor v. Happersett, actually went to the Supreme Court and that Court's ruling gave each state the right to make their its own rules on who could or couldn't vote. This opened the door to poll taxes, literacy tests, etc.
In the early 1900's, as women's battle for political, social and economic power heated up it became standard practice for the mass media to refer to "undergraduettes" and "suffragettes". These were intended to undermine the seriousness and the importance of these women. The suffragists who picketed the White House starting in 1916 held up banners that quoted President Wilson's speeches on democracy and asking why he refused to back voting rights for women. They were accused of treason by the pundits of the time. They were beaten by mobs while the police looked or the women themselves were arrested. They were held in jail for days without being allowed to contact anyone outside. Their friends and lawyers who tried to locate them were lied to by the police and jail officials. They were given months of prison time. Some were beaten by their jailers, some were put in solitary confinement. They went on hunger strikes, and were force fed. When word of their treatment eventually leaked out public opinion changed from derisiveness to outrage at their treatment and admiration for their courage. And this set the stage for passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
And in the 1960's when women again became more vocal in their pursuit of equality their movement was derided with the title "women's lib". Oddly enough no one referred to the Black Movement as "black lib".

Did you see the link to the White Glove one? One of the goals is a new wardrobe!

Now, wouldn't there be an interest in taking the words back? I know that in many communities there are efforts to take back words that were once used pejoratively. Inga Muscio wrote a book titled with the C word. I haven't read it yet, but my wife has and she told me that Muscio wants to take the word back. (http://www.amazon.com/Cunt-Declaration-Independence-Live-Girls/dp/158005...). The book is on my never-ending and ever growing to-read pile.

I just love it when women who design Web sites call themselves Web Mistress rather than Web Master.

...nom de banlieu :)

There's been a crow war for the last four hours in the Schlucht between my building and the next. Had no idea how much racket two crows can make. At first I thought it must be another bald eagle--I once saw a bald eagle on the roof right outside my office window, staring at me (they're a yard high, and ferocious-looking!). It was accompanied and finally driven off by a murder of crows, acting in concert so to speak.

This is only two crows, yet I must take my piles of paper and go work in a restaurant. Glad for the excuse, on such a nice day.