Wednesday, May 2, 2012

My Life as a Feminist

For some women, there is an a-ha moment http://www.theclickbook.com/?p=3 when they suddenly realize that they are feminists.

I can't think of a single defining moment or event in my life. I saw things that were annoying, stupid and wrong. Why did women in TV chase scenes always fall and twist/sprain/break ankles? Why were classified ads segregated by Help Wanted--Male and Help Wanted--Female? Why was it acceptable for defense attorneys to put victims' sexual history into evidence in rape cases?

I remember a friend said that women's lib was stupid: I wondered what she was afraid of.

I remember a boyfriend said I couldn't believe in women's lib because I wore skirts: I wondered WTF.

I remember another guy told me he was sick of my women's lib shit when I said I had problem with one of his favorite Grateful Dead songs, Jack Straw. That song opens and closes with the line, "We can share the women we can share the wine." Once again, I wondered WTF.

I remember my sister telling me that I talked about women's lib, but I let [my boyfriend] tell me what to do. Unfortunately, she was right.

Believing in feminism didn't make me a perfect feminist. Hell, there is no perfect feminist.

My feminism was a work in progress; it is still a work in progress.

Just a few examples: feminism means not being judgmental about women's looks; feminism means defending women, even women like Sarah Palin and Michele Bachman, when "progressives" insult them with misogynist slurs rather than challenge them on their views.

An example of what I aspire to be is here: http://www.shakesville.com/2012/04/shakespeares-sister.html

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