The Dreaded F
I have experienced one of the quintessential moments in a young feminist's life - in college, I took a class on women in art. The class was a small, intense seminar with an obvious feminist bent, and it filled up quickly. On the first day of class, the professor asked, "How many of you are feminists?" I raised my hand without hesitation, expecting that everyone else had raised their hands too. But in a class of 10, I was the only one sure enough to raise my hand.
The older I get, the more sure I am. I have always believed that being female doesn't automatically make me weaker, or dumber, or more prone to histrionics, or more likely to try to fleece a man out of money. I don't hate men - I have always been convinced that men are just as hurt by gender convention as women are.
Regardless of what some people believe, feminism is still needed.
I myself have had certain experiences that shocked me, like the job interview in which I was asked if I had or planned on having any kids, as they would keep me from working late. Or the first day of another job, when I was warned that I'd be working in a warehouse with all men, and I didn't look "strong enough to handle it" (asshat boss aside, that was one of my favorite jobs ever).
Some of my friends have been raped, and not only did they all blame themselves at least partially for being violated by another human being, they expected me to blame them too. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the rape, each woman felt that she should have done something different, and each woman was ashamed of herself. It makes me heartsick to even think about it.
My sister, who had her first child through C-section and her second child through natural birth, was told during her third pregnancy that she was not ALLOWED to have her third child through natural birth. She was not allowed to decide what to do with her own body!
So, just looking around me, not even getting into facts and figures about pay discrimination, not even touching the abortion debate, I see a lot of evidence pointing to the fact that feminism is still needed. And I am happy and proud to stand up and call myself a feminist.
The older I get, the more sure I am. I have always believed that being female doesn't automatically make me weaker, or dumber, or more prone to histrionics, or more likely to try to fleece a man out of money. I don't hate men - I have always been convinced that men are just as hurt by gender convention as women are.
Regardless of what some people believe, feminism is still needed.
I myself have had certain experiences that shocked me, like the job interview in which I was asked if I had or planned on having any kids, as they would keep me from working late. Or the first day of another job, when I was warned that I'd be working in a warehouse with all men, and I didn't look "strong enough to handle it" (asshat boss aside, that was one of my favorite jobs ever).
Some of my friends have been raped, and not only did they all blame themselves at least partially for being violated by another human being, they expected me to blame them too. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the rape, each woman felt that she should have done something different, and each woman was ashamed of herself. It makes me heartsick to even think about it.
My sister, who had her first child through C-section and her second child through natural birth, was told during her third pregnancy that she was not ALLOWED to have her third child through natural birth. She was not allowed to decide what to do with her own body!
So, just looking around me, not even getting into facts and figures about pay discrimination, not even touching the abortion debate, I see a lot of evidence pointing to the fact that feminism is still needed. And I am happy and proud to stand up and call myself a feminist.
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