On claiming an identity and exploring arrogance

[rainsavannah]

So, Alexandra said something interesting the other day, and then again on a recent post of mine.

I was talking about how I feel really embarrassed and inadequate sometimes because I didn't choose to pursue math, engineering, the sciences. I am a feminist; I am supposed to be breaking boundaries and proving girls can do all kinds of manly things too

Comments

[in__silhouette]

So I'm waaay late on this, but a few thoughts:

1. I also have never defined myself as a writer, and continue to not do so. This mainly stems from the fact that I don't think I've accomplished enough to feel I have earned the title (kind of like you said). Also, the sentence "I'm a writer" feels very pretentious on my tongue, even though I don't feel it's actually a pretentious thing to say/be. HOWEVER, I think it's great that you feel confidant enough to say you are a writer, and you should be! Hopefully one day I will get there myself. Basically what I mean to say is, I sympathize.

2. Kate kind of already said this I think, but my first thought when you said that you feel like you should maybe be in the hard sciences in order to be a "real" feminist or combat patriarchy was: shouldn't the goal of feminism be that you get to do whatever you WANT to do, not what men tell you to do or what you are expected to do by society? As a woman, you can choose whatever you want, and you happen to choose languages. And to me, that does not make you any less of a feminist. In fact, doing things that aren't your top priority just to combat patriarchy seems stupid to me, and just as unfair.

3. This post is generally full of win.