Great Article; Sums Me Up Exactly!

I recently read this wonderful article entitled, "I Am A Feminist." His descriptions, his experiences, and his overall style relay his meaning perfectly: people act like feminism is a dirty word, even though the majority of people today have benefited greatly from this movement (and, ironically, support the values that this movement espouses).

I always have to laugh when people recoil in horror if asked if they are a feminist. If asked if they're racist, the answer is usually, "No, why do you ask?" Ask them if they're a feminist, and their faces contort uncontrollably, and they can barely get the shocked, emphatic, "NO!" out of their choking throats. You might as well ask them if they kill and mutilate babies, or something, with all the horror that they react with.

Now, I can understand that some women (ultra-religious conservatives, old-fashioned women, etc.) do NOT identify as feminists, and rightly so. They believe in conservative gender roles (man outside of the house, woman inside), in being subservient to their husbands, etc. I would not expect these women to identify as feminists; that's not my issue.

My issue is with women who advocate equal education for all; equal social, economic and political opportunities for all; reproductive rights; and careers and wages based on talent and interest, not gender, yet still insist they're not feminists. Why? Feminism isn't a bad word; the media and ultra-conservatives in our society, who are threatened by women who are independent and self-sufficient, have made it out to be a synonym for man-hating, angry lesbians. Are there some feminists like this? Sure thing. Just like there are some Christians who bomb abortion clinics, or some Muslims who organize terrorist attacks on the US. The point is, just because a very small minority acts a certain way does not mean that the entire group does. In fact, it's ignorant to think so.

So I'll proudly proclaim: I am a college-educated, financially independent, self-sufficient, love-my-career, gender-roles-shunning, modern-day feminist. I'm also incredibly feminine & girly, happily married to my soulmate and looking forward to the day when I can be a stay at home mom to our (future) children; I can't think or anything more rewarding than raising up the next generation. See? Feminism isn't a movement full of man-hating, children-hating, scary, mannish women! We're normal, everyday women, mothers and wives, daughters and sisters, who want our potential to be defined by our talents and interests, not our genders; who choose marriage because we've found the partner that completes us, not because we can't survive without it; and bring forth new human beings into the world because we want to raise up the next generation, not because we couldn't afford access to birth control.