Ruby Karp Discusses Writing and Girl Power!
Ruby Karp is a 13-year-old blogger and girl power advocate whose articles have been published on Mashable and Hello Giggles.
We recently spoke to Ruby about how she started writing, what inspires her, and what girl power is all about!
Ruby Karp told us she'd been writing since she was just 4.
"I've always loved writing," she said.
Ruby is a contributor for Hello Giggles, a supportive online community and blog for women and girls. She has written for them since the site's inception in 2011.
"When they were starting the site, they found an interview I did with Amy Poehler and asked me if I wanted to write," Ruby said.
Ruby Karp had appeared on Amy Poehler's "Smart Girls" when she was 7 to talk about feminism and the fact that girls could do anything boys could. Her outgoing personality and wisdom beyond her years made her an appealing match for Hello Giggles.
"I've been told I'm mature for my age, and I can see where those people are coming from," she said. "It's very fun, I love writing and I love seeing how people respond."
Ruby has a lot of clout in the blogging community for a 13-year-old, but Ruby doesn't think too much about that.
"My age doesn't really matter to me," she said, "but I guess it does to others."
Ruby is not just a writer, but an avid reader.
"I love John Green," she said. "He is my favorite author, and all my favorite books are by him. I love books like his; Sad, but happy. Romantic, but not a romance. He is my idol."
Ruby is often inspired to write her articles by noticing what's going on in the world around her. She writes about what she observes.
"I mostly write about society, so it's more things I overhear and my opinions," she said.
Among those opinions is a strong stance on the topic of feminism and girl power.
"Girl power is a super important topic," Ruby explained. "I hate it when I meet girls who put girls down. I really hope to be a role model for young girls when I'm older."
In a world where girls can be critical of each other and put others down, Ruby thinks we need to work toward the opposite of that.
"I think if we start raising girls to love girls and support feminism, that would be an amazing start," she said. "Girl power is important because we shouldn't be put down because of stereotypes."
Ruby recently wrote an article called "I'm 13 and None of My Friends Use Facebook." The article called attention to Facebook as growing less and less engaging as a social destination for teens, and drew a lot of attention from teens and adults alike.
Others have even written retort articles to Ruby's, stating that they are teens who love Facebook, or that they are adults who know young people still interested in the social media site.
"I don't really mind, because it's just my opinion," Ruby said. "Nobody has to agree, but it's what I've witnessed. I don't know many kids not from my school, so I couldn't get perspective from other kids."
Instead, Ruby takes these rebuttals in stride.
"If people would like to disagree, that's totally ok," she said. "As long as they're not being mean, because that's not nice."
Ruby loves writing now, and can't see herself stopping in the near future. She aspires to be a journalist, author, comedian, or all of the above.
"I could totally see myself writing a book," she said. "Maybe not about me, but based off my life. Like what it's like growing up in New York, seeing what I see and stuff. And, it would totally be a comedy book."
Ruby is also a huge fan of the British science fiction series, Doctor Who. With the 11th incarnation of the Doctor, played by Matt Smith, retiring at the end of this year, and the 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi, coming in to take his place, fans are speculating about what the change might bring to the series.
"I think he's gonna do a great job," Ruby said. "I love Matt, but I think Peter is gonna be awesome."
Can't get enough of Ruby Karp's writing? Check out her Twitter page and read her blogs at Hello Giggles!