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What NrrdGrrl! is: A NrrdGrrl! is any woman who has measured herself against the prevailing, confusing, impossible, societal yardstick and found herself coming up short. A NrrdGrrl! is any woman who reads the Manifesto and nods her head "yes". A NrrdGrrl! is any woman who wants to reclaim the meaning of the word normal. Because normal does not mean the same as everybody else! Normal does not mean average! (and for those of you who are wondering - well then what in the blazes does 'normal' mean, NrrdGrrl means it in the "the whole range of human variation is normal" kind of way-- like there are healthy, normal people who are four feet tall, and healthy normal people who are over seven feet tall, and healthy normal people at every point between.)
What NrrdGrrl! isn't: NrrdGrrl! is *not* a political soapbox. There is no agenda. There is no "right" or "wrong". You don't have to "qualify" or meet standards. That is what we're trying to eliminate. There's already enough bashing, discrimination, exclusion, and criticism out there, don't you think? Individual NrrdGrrl!s hold views that run the gamut of the political and social spectrum. They come from different circumstances, backgrounds, religions, philosophies. They look all different ways.What was the origin of NrrdGrrl? NrrdGrrl! the website was born on Halloween, 1995 in a booth at the McDonald's on 14th Street and 1st Avenue in New York City. Amelia Wilson was remarking to her companion that she was planning on attending a Webgrrls meeting, when her companion rolled his eyes and groaned "What do they do, sit around and write 'nerd' on their foreheads in lipstick?", mocking the riotgrrl practice of scrawling slogans on their bodies. Amelia smiled sweetly and said "yeah, but it would be spelled n-r-r-d" making a grrl joke.That exchange sparked Amelia into action, and she whipped up a quick little web site to express something that has been bottled up inside of her for a long time. (see the Manifesto). It turned out that a lot of other women felt the same way, and the rest is history.
Who can join NrrdGrrl? Listings in the NrrdGrrl! Directory are open to any woman who wishes to be included. I don't care how sophisticated your page is- NrrdGrrl! is about the expression of a feeling, it's not an art contest.What about the guys? Men are more than welcome to add to what's going on here at the site. Letters from men are printed regularly in the Toothmarks section of Grrowl! E-Zine, there are listings of resources and 'zines run in whole or part by men in the NrrdGrrl! 'Zinerack and NrrdGrrl! Links, and men are welcome to participate on the Discussion Forum. Men will not be listed in the NrrdGrrl! Directory, however, unless they are part of a couple or group working on a website that is at least 50% woman-helmed.
How can I join NrrdGrrl? To have your web page link listed in the NrrdGrrl! Directory, all you have to to is fill out this form and allow a few days for your listing to be processed. Browser can't read forms? Send e-mail to: join@nrrdgrrl.com If you're interested in creating a page of your own but don't have the money or the know-how, check the Do It Yourself page for information about how to get started. That's it!Any questions you'd like to see addressed in the NrrdGrrl! F.A.Q.? Just drop us a line and let us know!
faq@nrrdgrrl.com if they ask, tell 'em NrrdGrrl! sent you