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Up until recently, I was not a feminist, not even a closeted one. I had accepted the reality of being underpaid and treated like my IQ was inadequate to my male collogues despite having the same degree in law. I feel ashamed to admit it now, but acceptance of the past allows one to move forward and grow. And the freedom and joy I feel now that I can admit my growth makes up for the shame. During my pre feminist years, my sense of self worth was floorboard low until one day when everything changed. It felt like waking up from a deep sleep, metaphorically and literally, only to have obtained a completely different outlook. You’d think that a life altering realization, like this needs to be triggered by some sort of unjust event or at the least an episode Ellen DeGeneres. But no, instead, I simply woke up for the first time in my life, felt worthy of the space I was taking up. Eventually this would lead me to realize that I was a feminist, too. In short, recognizing my self worth gave rise to my inner fantastic feminist. I grew up in a relatively conservative environment, which meant my newfound proclamations of feminism at the dinner table with friends and family were met with confusion and apathy. To this day, my environment and the people around me, hold an antiquated notion of equality, directly in contrast to my feminist beliefs. I am a feminist, I believe that equality is a human right; they claim that equality should be earned. What’s important to take into consideration when dealing with people, who are not proclaimed feminists, is that they may believe in equality despite not identifying as a feminist. Some don’t see sexism as problem of the 21st century. And others simply fail to recognize the strong and independent women in their lives. Need I mention that they are usually men? Can we really have different approaches to feminism? Is it OK to believe in the feminist agenda but not label yourself as one? Or does it imply blunt ignorance? After identifying why certain individuals are not feminists, how do you deal with it? It’s a challenge for me to cope with the fact that so much of our world is fearful of a word. Tying self worth to feminism, I feel as if the non-feminists think poorly of me, see me as unworthy and less than. And maybe they do. Or maybe they’re not non-feminists, but instead sexist. Despite the progress that needs to be made to further develop an equal society, it’s important to be thankful for the tremendous changes that have been made. My grandmother wasn’t allowed to work, but I am fortunate enough to be encouraged to. As we converted by Web2PDFConvert.com
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thank our ancestors and the women who fought before us, we must ensure that generations to come will face less sexist challenges. I want them to look back and feel the same type of gratitude that I do. Feminism for me today means female, it means something brave, intelligent and kind. I used to be a female without bravery, intelligence or kindness. But today, I am a proud feminist.
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