“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.”
— G.D Anderson
I’ll preface this article and the ones that will follow by saying that I didn’t always proudly declare myself a feminist.
This is largely due to the fact that until a few years ago, I had no idea what feminism even was. This isn’t to say that I hadn’t heard of the feminist movement, because most Americans have. I just had the idea in my head, like many do, that feminism is a scary, spiteful movement that is unnecessary because women in America “have it so good” already.
About a year ago, that changed. It started right about when I watched the documentary Miss Representation for the first time (if you haven’t seen this yet, open Netflix and watch it immediately. Then finish reading this. Everything will make much more sense).
Done? Pretty interesting film, huh? I knew you’d like it. If you didn’t watch it, do yourself a favor and make a note of it for the next time you’re binging on Netflix (which we all know will happen sooner rather than later).
Anyway, after watching that film, everything clicked for me. Every feeling that I had but didn’t quite know how to put into words became clear. All the times I felt betrayed by the way women are portrayed in films and advertisements, ashamed of the way I look or dress as not being up to a certain standard, and angry that I live in a world where my biology can determine my rights, my income, and my safety, were brought to the forefront of my attention.
Women often have to take what we’re given, no matter how biased and unfair, with a polite smile and “thank you.” And that simply isn’t right.
Now, in retrospect, I realize that signs of my feminist tendencies were always there. It really is no surprise that feminism resonates with me considering that A League of Their Own was my favorite movie growing up, I couldn’t stand music videos that demean women (even in fifth grade, I knew I didn’t like Kanye West’s “Golddigger” video) and I’ve always been extremely protective of my girl friends.
That being said, it still took a lot of research for me to reach the conclusion that I am a feminist, because it’s extremely difficult to overwrite the social norms we’ve been taught since our entire lives. So I ask you, my lovely, powerful, goddess colliegettes, to keep an open mind as I share my opinions and thoughts over the next few months. You may not agree with everything I post, but I hope that my blog here on Her Campus will serve as a guide in your own personal journey toward finding what you believe and are willing to take a stand for.