Why I'm a Feminist

[puella_nerdii]

Return from wedding (which was lovely; when I get my hands on pictures, I'll share a few, because damn I looked hot in that dress) and am launched straight into finals. Le sob.

Anyway -- this is something I wrote about half a month ago on the Hetalia anon meme, to answer the following question: what has feminism done for you? And/or how much

Comments

[insomniel]

I used to be a very radical feminist, back in my wild college days which I don't clearly remember anymore. I've toned it down a bit, but still I support the idea of women's equality or at least women's freedom to be equal. Although I am working from a perceived disadvantage of being a minority female in a male-dominated field.

I agree with your points, that feminism should not be defined by the extremists, and that both men and women have much to gain from what feminism brings. I am not ashamed of myself for wanting that, but I also understand that it's a difficult concept to define when it encompasses many movements, meanings get misconstrued.

But things that are worth working for are not easy... something like that.

[puella_nerdii]

Heh, there are so many branches of feminism now that I'm not even sure what radicalism encompasses. I guess I'm kind of radical in that I believe in more freedom of and within gender than the oppositional model that we have in America usually allows for? Though I think college is definitely radicalizing me to a degree -- but hey, if you can't be radical in college, where can you be radical?

Either that, or college is helping me realize that I'm gayer than I thought I was. Either way.

It's true, it's not easy. Heck, my proudly-feminist mom and I have disagreements about gender and what it means all the time. But if we keep having these conversations and keep examining things we've previously viewed as absolutes and questioning why we see them that way, I'm hopeful about our ability to make change.

[puella_nerdii]

*blushes* I'm glad I posted this too, I think. It's been percolating for lord knows how long.

[katanath]

THIS. IS. AWESOME

[liberty_witch]

Personally, I never think much about gender unless it's to say that being a girl does not mean I MUST have a crush or something equally annoying. It also comes up when I think about my sexuality

[fegie]

I want to be equal everywhere. I don't want to hear women called sluts and bitches when I turn on the TV and radio; I don't want to have to go out to parties or bars with the fear of date-rape lurking in the back of my head the entire time; I don't want other people telling me what to do with my body; I don't want to find out that men are writing horrible things about me because I'm not interested in dating them or sleeping with them.

Fucking hell yes. And i want to be able to walk around fucking Towson without wondering if some other damn-ass crazy guy is going to hit on me, or jack off in front of me, or ask me if i have a boyfriend & not leave me alone, or look at one of my friends as she walks by & go, "Mmmmm, fishnets." In short, to not be treated like some sort of i-don't-even-know-what simply because i've got a different chromosome.

Errr, hi, i ranted at you. But in short, YES.