How to Educate Yourself on Feminism
I feel as if I’ve always been a feminist and proud to call myself one. However, that doesn’t mean I know everything about feminism, so I’m still learning and I’ve asked some people on Twitter how they’ve been able to educate themselves as well. So here’s some ways that might help you to also educate yourself on feminism.
Ask Questions
I’m quite an inquisitive person; in class I’m definitely one of the people guaranteed to ask a question. Sometimes you’re not too sure on what something means or whether you really agree with a certain viewpoint. You might think what you’re wondering is silly or that you should already know what you’re asking about, but it’s always better to ask than be left in the dark – there’s no shame in clarifying things. Just recently I was at an event about Safe Spaces and I double-checked with one of the facilitators the meaning of “inclusive”, I was pretty positive I was saying it in the right context, but there’s nothing wrong with being sure.
Podcasts
I think podcasts are becoming quite a feminist platform and below are are a few of my favourites. Call Your Girlfriend is a podcast for long-distance besties everywhere where every week Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman call each other to discuss the intricacies of pop culture and the latest in politics. The Rookie podcast is part of Rookie Mag, the online magazine founded by Tavi Gevinson and she interviews people she admires including musicians, actors, and artists of all kinds. The Debrief podcast is about adulting by Stevie Martin and Tessa Coates, where they give tips and get information from experts in various fields. The Woman’s Hour podcast offers a female perspective on the world and it can have a bit more to listen to compared to the radio programme on Radio 4 that goes out Monday to Friday at 10am.
Books
Since starting university I haven’t read as much as I’d like to, favoring Netflix binges instead. But I do try to make time for reading and the bath is usually where I enjoy it most. I love autobiographies as I love to learn about interesting women and the celebrities that I’m a big fan of; some of my favourites have been by Mindy Kaling, Lynn Barber, and I’m currently reading Hillary Clinton’s latest book. Another book I think is fantastic and gives a better understanding of what women go through is Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates.
Learn to Unlearn
This may sound a bit confusing but hear me out. In my second year of university I went to an event at the Scottish Parliament with fellow university women. I learnt a lot from fantastic speakers and the other young women and I even made a friend that I run in to at other feminist events. One of the discussions I went to at the event was about intersectional feminism and although I was learning a lot, I discovered I needed to unlearn some things too. As a straight, white female I need to make sure to check my privilege and realise some of the ways I was brought up or taught about feminism only actually apply to me but feminism isn’t a one-size-fits-all type of thing. These things take a while to shake, so don’t worry if you don’t find it easy right from the beginning.
Feminism is something I think we should always be learning about and educating ourselves on so hopefully some of these ideas can help you too.
Images: http://www.lifehack.org/439638/10-inspirational-quotes-of-the-day-559-ap-pinterest-quotes?ref=pp
https://ithelpstodream.tumblr.com/post/152773129928