After an earlier report on Deadspin‘s lack of any full-time female employees, Jolie Kerr wrote into The Mirror to state something that is obvious to her:
“I work for Deadspin and I’m female. Warm regards, Jolie Kerr.”
Kerr is a contributor with a regular column, Ask a Clean Person, that runs on Jezebel and Deadspin. She also contributes ad hoc to Deadspin on various topics around food and drink (recipes, she says, “silly things” like this Dip Bracket, a diary of doing a booze-free January).
As reported earlier, Deadspin‘s editor Tommy Craggs agrees that the whole thing looks shitty and well, is shitty. They’ve really been trying to bring on females full-time, he told CapitalNY. But lately with no success.
Questioned about working at such a bro-fest and what it’s like, Kerr’s thoughts conveyed one main thing: She loves it there, she’s happy and completely comfortable. She finds it sexist that CapitalNY the 100% Men tumbler, don’t seem to take her work more seriously.
“I have worked in sports journalism in other capacities, but at this stage in my career I’ve chosen to focus primarily on cleaning advice, which is work that I sort of stumbled into and that I absolutely love,” Kerr told The Mirror. “It’s even better that I’m able to do it for a male audience, and they have been amazingly receptive to what I do. I’m bothered by both the Capital NY piece and the original 100% Men tumblr post for treating me as if I don’t count because I write about cleaning. That in and of itself is offensive and sexist.”
Kerr, who works at home, says she’s quite at ease there.
“I am absolutely comfortable at Deadspin, both with my colleagues and with the readers,” she continued. “It is THE MOST fun! My editors and the other writers have been insanely supportive of me; I published my first book in February and the entire NY-based staff attended the book launch event, and otherwise have helped me succeed at every turn. It is a great environment in which to work.”
Kerr’s first book is called My Boyfriend Barfed In My Handbag … And Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha. She stresses that working for Deadspin is tough on all writers.
“The Deadspin readers can be really rough and we all take a drubbing; of course, for women that drubbing often comes in the form of sexism, but I routinely see our male writers criticized by commenters who throw around racist and homophobic language (blessedly, those types of commenters are the minority).”
As for working at home, she explains that she’s welcome at the office anytime. “I actually wish I could be there more!” she said.
