On Saturday, President Russell M. Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called for female members to fast from social media for 10 days. (Men were not included in this challenge.)
Many female Latter-day Saints have already heeded the call and begun social media fasts. So many, in fact, that entrepreneurs, politicians and advocates are struggling to keep in contact with this large demographic. Moreover, many of the people who rely on social media to reach their clients and constituencies also happen to be female Latter-day Saints themselves. For these women, a fast from social media isn’t just time away from cat videos, it is a potential financial hit to the businesses that support their families, lost momentum in political campaigns for an election that is less than a month away, or the absence of much-needed voices of women to address issues critical to the nation and the world—issues in which women, on average, tend to differ dramatically in opinion and perspective from their male counterparts.
At the Exponent II, our mission is to elevate the voices of Mormon* women. Now is a critical time for us to fulfill this mission. During this time of social media fasting, we are dedicating this space as a forum for Latter-day Saint women to share businesses and campaigns you support with each other—without relying on social media.
Feel free to share your business websites, your campaign websites, and your nonprofit or grassroots organizational websites in the comments below, as well as those of Latter-day Saint women that you support. During the next week or so, return to this site and click on the links to learn more about the great work your sisters are doing in the world—even without the aid of Facebook or Twitter.
With a little resourcefulness—a virtue our pioneer foremothers taught us well—we can help Latter-day Saint women who want to heed the call to fast from social media to mitigate its side effects for their businesses, campaigns and causes.
*Note: Exponent II uses the term Mormon to describe a broader demographic than members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints only. The Exponent serves all people who identify as Mormon women or Latter-day Saints, including women with cultural ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but not current membership and women from other branches of Mormonism such as the Community of Christ.
Not a promotion, but this post made me tear up a bit. Thank you for your inclusive language around those who identify as “Mormon” regardless of our status with the LDS church.
I will second that sentiment! I was born into the church many decades ago, from which time I was conditioned BY MY LEADERS to be “Mormon,” so you could say I was “born this way” and now I’m being told that the identity I spent a lifetime adopting AT MY LEADERS’ BEHEST is a victory for Satan? Harsh. I will try to give it up, but it won’t be easy. People at church keep correcting me and it stings. Why can’t I just choose how I want to identify as a person of faith?
Article of Faith 1:11 “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship HOW, where, or what they may.” (emphasis added)
❤❤❤❤
I’m trying to get the word out about Mormon Studies research grants that Claremont Graduate University is funding. If you have a project on global Mormonism in mind, please submit a proposal. https://mormonstudies.cgu.edu/center-global-mormon-studies/claremont-mormon-studies-research-grant/
Thanks very much for the opportunity, April! So here’s a challenge: Fill in the blank!
“__________ generally gave men a higher social position than women, and they believed that an individual’s worth largely consisted of how well he or she fulfilled the role of the gender/sex to which he or she belonged.”
If you guessed Vikings, you win! I wrote a historical novel that I hope will encourage young women of faith who may not have fully discovered their feminism to use their voices and speak up for themselves. Iron-age Scandinavia makes the perfect setting because of the parallels to some of our modern-day challenges.
If you like fantasy novels with female protagonists, or know someone who does, give it a look at
https://robbieaugust.com/
The Incendiat Press team and I are also working on a mobile phone game to help combat toxic masculinity. If you’re interested in updates on these and other projects, I’ve got some social and a mailing list:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/robbie_august
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/robbie.august/
Mailing list: http://eepurl.com/dyIJnT
We’ve taken a big hit on engagement because we are specifically geared the LDS teens/Moms and we are in the height of marketing right now because registration opens Nov 1st.
Check us out! My sisters and I run a Gospel-centric Outdoor Adventure Summer camp in Idaho.
https://www.outdoorsforyouth.org/
What a great idea! Thank you for this!
I have a blog/site written by and for Latter-day Saint women. It’s killing (ha!) me to not post on Facebook this week about General Conference, but we’re still actively maintaining it and writing.
added-upon.com/blog
I also have a side business where I rely heavily on social media to make appointments and manage business flow. It’s been suffering this week. https://www.aboutfaceme.com/ Affordable, medical-grade, at-home age prevention and reversal.
Thanks!
Excellent way to support women as they help provide for their families.
Support all men and women aging concerns.
http://www.newulife.com/cabernier
I have an online shop called A Shop About Love, your source for handmade goods that inspire more love for yourself and others! Our specialties: handmade wool sweaters, alpaca sweaters, woven totes, colorful nesting baskets, striped pillow covers, and hand loomed rugs.
We celebrate women, sustainability, self-care, equality, & LOVE!
Today we just launched a PRE-SALE for our Self-Care Sweater, our #1 best seller that previously had sold out. Place a pre-order by Oct. 25 to get a wool sweater, knitted just for you by our women’s knitting co-op in the Andes of Ecuador.
http://www.shopaboutlove.com