The Feminist Front Lisandra — known as Lis — is one of the action groups of Cásper Líbero College. It was created in 2013 in order to discuss themes and topics that involves feminism, and currently, Lis is composed by 18 girls and has nine collaborators.
I’ve interviewed three girls of the Front and each one answered us the same four questions. So here it goes.
1. Camila Campache Motta
Image Source: Personal archive
Also one one Her Campus’ social medias, she’s a 18-year-old Journalism student who has always been in love with the Front and their purpose since she enrolled at Cásper, but only came together on the Lis over two months ago, going in all the meetings she could. When the year was over, Camila got in touch with the action group to join in, and now she’s into helping all the way she can.
2. Joyce Cardoso
Image Source: Personal archive
She’s a 19 years old and also studies Journalism. She joined Lis just a month ago and is part of the action group.
3. Yasmin Toledo
Image Source: Personal archive
She’s a 23 years old who studies Journalism as well. Yasmin doesn’t remember when she started going to the meetings, but it was in her sophomore year.
Q&A
1. Which event of Lis made you feel proud of organizing or participating?
C.M: The ‘cine debate’ about a Brazilian documentary called Quem matou Eloá?. Sometimes the impression is that we, from the Front, know everything about feminism, even so it’s the opposite. Being there and share a bit of what I know is the least I can do to return all the people that go and share their knowledge too. And there I felt that in some way I was contributing to that knowledge exchange.
J.C: I really enjoyed the ‘cine debate’ Quem matou Eloá?, since it was the first one that I could mediate with the other girls and it was nice to see the boys participating and giving their opinions as well. Everyone listened to everyone without any problem.
Y.T: The event Women and Media Week in the last year, working on it was very tiring and exhausting to organize. However, in the end I realized it was quite successful.
2. The Front is feminist, but may boys also participate?
C.M: Yes! There are some meetings that are exclusive for girls, but there’re other ones where guys can show and share their opinions. In my personal opinion, their presence in the meetings are extremely important, because I believe that they should have the knowledge around about girls’ reality so they can work these issues in the right way.
J.C: Boys cannot join in into the action group, and yet they can participate in the open meetings.
Y: Boys are welcome in the meetings, but in the organization and in some closed meetings they can’t. Closed meetings are the ones which we talk more about intimate issues related to girls.
3. When did you realize that you consider yourself a feminist?
C.M: I think it was in the second year of high school, but I have already acted as a feminist a long time before. I was born in a small and very conservative city. And at that moment I thought the word ‘feminist’ was scary and then I just said I was defending what I believed in. Time flies and I understood the real meaning of the word. So I started facing debates as a real feminist.
J.C: I think it was a process. I wasn’t raised to be a feminist. When I was a kid I never understood why I couldn’t do some things and my brother could when he was at my age. I had more contact with feminism in the high school, and I realized that everything that I felt had a name.
Y.T: I think it was in 2013/2014, when there was a ‘boom’ on the internet about feminism and then I started to identify myself with superficial stuff, like harassment, different salaries. They’re important issues, but the deeper I went on this matter, more I realized that there were many serious problems, like maternity, for instance. I started to understand that all is actually a bigger construction.
4. Do you have a hint for girls who are afraid to admit they’re feminists?
C.M: I believe that there’s nothing more beautiful than raising this flag, as in my vision all the women fight a battle everyday and only they know what it’s like going through it. I think all the women should be considered strong, due to the fact that being a woman is the synonymous of fight and a political act.
J.C: Like I said: it’s a process. It’s something that we learn step by step, especially leaving behind male chauvinist thoughts. I said that if you really want, you need to read authors that write about it, go to the meetings and talk to other girls that consider themselves feminists too.
Y.T: My hint is: start looking for information about the feminism, be open-minded and open hearted too, because when you understand all of this, it becomes natural and the fear fades away.
Image Source: Casperian Feminist Front Lisandra
All the meetings happen on Thursdays, at 5pm on the third floor of Faculdade Cásper LÍbero. If you want to get in touch with Feminist Front Lisandra, you can access its social networks:
Facebook: Frente Feminista Casperiana Lisandra
Instagram: @lisandra_ffc
YouTube: Lisandra Casperiana