By AMELIA BAUMANN
Ruby Karp, a teenage New York City native, is putting her wit and passion towards promoting modern feminism. With impressive experience and devotion, she is advocating for gender equality.
At 14 years old, Karp has been a guest on Amy Poehler’s “Smart Girls at the Party,” given her own “TEDTALK,” been the feature of a “New York Times” article, and been named a Dove Global Self-Esteem Ambassador. If that isn’t enough, she can also be found hosting a comedy show at the Upright Citizens Brigade in the East Village and writing regularly for the feminist-centered website, “Hello Giggles.”
Feminism can be perceived in a multitude of ways, but to Ruby Karp “feminism really does mean that boys and girls are of equal value.” This ideal is important to Karp. She states that feminism is crucial “because we live in a society where people are expected to be this or that, and I think feminism is something that is so apparent and something that we need because there are so many things wrong with the way we are living our lives right now.”
Ruby Karp has been sharing her thoughtful and positive outlook since she was seven. The young feminist began her activism on “Smart Girls at the Party,” a web series created by Amy Poehler. In her interview with Poehler, Karp shared her belief in gender equality and feminism when she appeared on the show. To quote seven-year-old Ruby Karp, “If a boy can do the monkey rings, so can a girl.” She has since continued to spread awareness about feminism. In her “TEDTALK,” given in October, 2013, Karp spoke about the value of the word “yes,” a concept she still promotes. “By saying ‘yes’, you are opening yourself to possibilities you may have never imagined. In terms of saying ‘yes’ to feminism, it doesn’t take that much to be like, ‘Yes, I’m a feminist’. By doing that and accepting that we are equal to men, you show that one person can change the world.”
In Karp’s eyes, the future of feminism is fast approaching. She said, “I have a lot of goals, but I think the ultimate goal is that we’ll all be equals and we’ll all be feminists.”
A very enlightening and empowering piece!