Granted, on the surface it's a pretty unbelievable assertion. After all, look at my credentials:
- I'm a young mother of two boys
- I stay at home to raise them full-time
- My husband is the primary breadwinner
- I can occasionally be found bent over a toilet, scrubbing the heck out of it.
But for me, feminism is about choice. Because of feminism I have the choice to vote, the choice to get an education, the choice to run for public office, work in medicine, or I can choose to stay at home.
I once read an essay that said true feminists had to be lesbians. The author argued that a French soldier would never fight all day in the resistance only to go home and sleep with a Nazi. The analogy was - any married woman was essentially doing the same thing.
It's probably the only essay I can recall from my college days. It represents a form of feminism that has swung so far from the daily life of the average woman who loves equality between the sexes but also loves her husband, children and the opportunity to become whatever she wants.
On of my favorite champions of reasonable feminism, Leonard Pitts, recently addressed the subject. He says that years of negative association has landed the term "feminist...in syntactical purgatory." Women who espouse its principles shun identification as a feminist.
I certainly don't want to return to the way things were before feminism. Back to the days (and I'm quoting Pitts again) "...of casual beatings, Of casual rape. Of words like 'old maid' and spinster'....Of going to school to find a man. Of getting an allowance and needing a husband's permission. Of taking all your spirit, all your dreams, all your ambition, aspiration, creativity, and pounding them down until they fit in a space no larger than a casserole dish."
Because of feminism, my life is better, and so is yours. Because of feminism we are free to pursue our dreams. So I'll say it again, hopefully this time without the laughter.
I am a feminist.
4 comments:
Woaaahhh. Looks like i'm not the only one coming out of the closet! I only wish I had noticed this post of yours earlier! Way to stand up for something awesome :)
Nicely written Nat!!
eloquently written! After finishing my Masters and then staying home, I too love knowing that the choice we make to be with our children during these formative years is our privilege. From all your blog posts I can tell that your kids are so lucky you made that choice (being the talented woman that you are).
I'm a conservative, non-radical feminist - different from a feminazi - but amen to your sentiments
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