We have tech, business and spiritual bloggers who are proudly feminist, but who is claiming the title of feminist fashion blogger? I know what you're thinking - the fashion industry is known for exploiting women and encouraging eating disorders, not to mention actively promoting heinous photoshop work. But, if you look outside of the industry, you'll see women who love pretty clothes and kicking ass while wearing them, no matter where they work their day jobs.

The newly organized Feminist Fashion Bloggers showcases a diverse group of fashion bloggers who also have a strong commitment to women's rights. In reading the entries from the participants, you'll see great fashion ideas from hot women who know how to spot beauty. You'll also see an amazing discussion about why they have or haven't blogged about their feminist beliefs, about the real definition of what a feminist is, and some really interesting takes on how feminism and fashion can go hand in hand.

Modern feminism is about embracing diversity and being pro-choice in every sense of the phrase, and this group of women is stepping out to celebrate their individual fashion styles as well as their strong feminist beliefs.

Franca from Oranges and Apples and Mrs. Bossa from Mrs. Bossa Does the Do made an official start. In honor of Women's History Month, they set up the Feminist Fashion Bloggers event. They asked readers how they express their feminism in the way they dress, which will be published on the 16th of March. They have also organized group blog posts about Feminist Fashion Icons, and plan more through the month.

Franca and Mrs. B answered some questions about their project:

K: What was the inspiration behind the FFB project?

Franca & Joanna: It started with an online discussion on Those Graces, which was inspired by a Citizen Rosebud post No Man's Land. We realised that a few of us were thinking about the links and conflicts between fashion, which we all loved, and feminism, which we felt passionately about as individuals. The discussion grew from there - we soon realised that there was a niche to fill...and that between us we had plenty of ideas to fill it! Women's History Month gave us the perfect springboard.

K: What do you hope comes out of it?

Franca & Joanna: The official aim of FFB is "to meet like minded bloggers, encourage dialogue and discussion both within and between the two blog niches and to explore the intersections and links between the two topics."

Franca: Basically, I hope that FFB will work to put in touch people who blog about either fashion or feminism, but are interested in the other as well. As a fashion blogger, I noticed periodic posts in which other fashion bloggers came out as feminists, or wrote about how fashion and feminism could go together, so there was definitely an interest, but then the conversation usually moved on to something else. And I hope that with FFB, we can get into a bit more depth and really explore some of these topics. And that's already been happening!

I also hope that FFB will go some way towards overcoming this surprisingly persistent idea that fashion and feminism are incompatible, or that feminists hate fashion!

Joanna: Personally I felt uncomfortable that my feminist beliefs were almost 'hidden away' in my posts on fashion, and I wanted to explore ways of incorporating the two. Conversely, people I know find it strange that I'm a feminist 'but' I own 80 pairs of shoes! I'm hoping that the range of FFB posts will open people's eyes, and will inspire other bloggers to express their beliefs.

K: How many bloggers do you have involved with FFB?

Franca & Joanna: It's been growing quickly! At the time of writing, the Feminist Fashion Bloggers Google group has 53 members, and so far around half of those have been posting something for the weekly coordinated posts. There are also a number of supportive bloggers who are promoting posts from the Twitter sidelines!

K: What have you learned from this project so far?

Franca: It's been really great to find out everyone's individual takes on the meaning of feminism. The FFB bloggers are such a diverse bunch and everyone has brought their own unique perspective to the discussion, in sometimes really unexpected ways. And everyone has had different topics they particularly care about - the discussion and members' posts have covered a brilliantly wide range of topics. For example, Skrush has talked about Feminism in the Mormon Church, and that is not a topic I would ever have thoughts about in a million years!

Joanna: ...and on the other hand, we had The Illustrative Life's hilarious post on the kick-ass female role in The Relic Hunter! I've become really excited about the range of experiences and opinions that everyone has brought to the table. I think we've all learnt something from it so far. The issues we have been discussing are often challenging, but it has also been inspiring to blog alongside people with such talent for writing and such interesting - and sometimes controversial - ideas.

K: Can we look forward to FFB action after March?

Franca & Joanna: Yes, definitely! FFB has received such a brilliant reception, so we really want to keep it going and keep it active. We're still working on the details, but after March, we will be moving to monthly coordinated posts, and we've set up a blog page for the group as a central place to showcase the group's output.

Be sure to check them out. If you'd like to participate, join the Google group, and you can also follow the latest on twitter.

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