Choices Campus Blog: I am a feminist because. . .

Friday, November 12, 2010

I am a feminist because. . .

On the first day of my first women's studies course my professor confronted the class with a question, "How many of you consider yourself a feminist?" I did not give it a second thought and raised my hand immediately. I figured that since this was a women's studies course the majority of people sitting around me would too claim their feminist title.

I could not have been more wrong. In a class of nearly 45, I was one of only seven or eight people who fully raised their hands. There were a couple maybes but the majority of the class seemed to be afraid of being associated as a feminist. When questioned on why they were so afraid of the F-word, they responded with the same old feminist stereotypes, "I'm not angry," "I don't hate men," and "I'm not a woman/lesbian."

Hearing these people combat the word only made me think about why I was a feminist (and proud of it I may add.) Although that was one of the first times I had claimed the name, I had always been a feminist. From a young age I often questioned why I was treated differently then the boys I knew and I wondered why I had to take responsibilities for my actions when boys were protected by simply stating, "Boys will be Boys."

After taking more women's studies courses and educating myself on feminist issues, I fully embraced my feminism. After leaving FMLA meetings or WS classes, I feel a deep sense of empowerment. I am inspired to take action and introduce more people to the idea that we should all be equal no matter what race, gender, sexual orientation, weight etc. We are all humans and we deserve an equal chance. For me, feminism is far beyond what my classmates thought. We are not about hating men or being unjustly angry (and I'm sure you know this) So here I am, once again Claiming the Name for Ms. Magazine, for myself and for all the people around me that I hope will soon be proud to Claim the Name.