It all started in 2020, during lockdown. I found myself sharing a flat with a group of international students in Budapest, Hungary, my hometown. The university we had all come to, the Central European University (CEU), had just been kicked out of the country, and we were the very last cohort to stay. Gender Studies had been banned in Hungary earlier that year; the Orbán government’s war on gender had just begun.
The political motive to speak up was clearly there, but things only truly took off when my personal frustrations aligned with the socio-political climate. An (ex)boyfriend who called me lazy was truly the last straw; Lazy Women was born.
I still remember those early days: the daily Zoom calls, figuring out how to set up a website from scratch, sitting on our living room floor, cutting out magazine photos to create collages for our articles. We debated endlessly, over bottles of cheap red wine, about everything from the logo (“should the hand be holding a wine bottle, or does that send the wrong message?”) to our name (“if we call ourselves Women and not Womxn, will people know we’re inclusive?”). We questioned what feminism meant to us – whether we should take a strong stance or embrace a diversity of opinions. (Spoiler: we went with the latter.)
One thing we didn’t have time to worry about, though, was whether it would resonate. Because oh it did, and so very quickly. Being in full lockdown certainly helped; articles poured in from women everywhere who were frustrated, restless, and ready to be part of something.
Constrained at home, many women suddenly saw how blurred the lines between private and public life could be — and how confining traditional expectations truly were. Lazy Women became a safe haven in the midst of it all: a space where you didn’t have to perform, justify, or fit into a pre-molded societal role.
Five years in, Lazy Women is not just a collective and a media platform – it’s a global movement. Since 2020, we’ve grown from a small blog into a feminist media outlet and creative hub with over 50 contributors worldwide, especially from Central and Eastern Europe. We’ve built a newsroom and community of talented writers, podcasters, and illustrators — many of whom had no prior media experience and came from disadvantaged contexts.
Together, we’ve created thought-provoking content that challenges norms, disrupts stereotypes, and, most importantly, inspires change. Over the years, we’ve published hundreds of articles (and continue to do so!) amplifying diverse voices and stories that matter, establishing a vibrant community of more than 150K readers who care about social impact. Last year, we also launched our first podcast series, Making It in Western Europe, alongside an ever-growing Substack newsletter that explores intimate monthly themes through personal testimonies and artwork.
The world is only now beginning to recognise how valuable the knowledge and political experience of post-communist Europe truly are and how long they’ve been overlooked. In this context, our everyday struggle continues: to make women’s and marginalised voices heard, and their intimate – yet deeply political – stories visible.
As for our future plans, the new website relaunch is just the start. It’s the first step in creating space for more exciting projects to come alive (very soon!) right here in their new home.
On a personal note: when I started Lazy Women, I had no idea it would be something I’d still be joyfully working on five years later. In fact, there’s very little else I can imagine loving doing for this long. Since 2020, I’ve moved countries twice, flats four times, jobs three times – and have basically grown up alongside this project. In many ways, I feel like Lazy Women has matured with me, evolving from an experimental blog into a proper newsroom.
This new website reflects that evolution: more confident, more powerful, and more impactful than ever – bringing you stories that matter for women, and that inspire solidarity, hope, and change. The Lazy Women are here to stay.
Zsofi Borsi
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
