I don't wear trousers. I don't show much skin. I wear my hair in braided buns. I love corsets. That sounds pretty much like the perfect victorian lady, right? Wrong. I have one "flaw" that would be considered unbelievably improper for a young modest victorian woman: I am a feminist. And normally I like to let my style reflect my political and social views (Hello, bag coverd in political badges!) because to me your style is the mirror to your soul.
The problem is: My soul isn't the one of a nice and polite victorian housewife; it's the soul of a loud, independent, intelligent woman that isn't afraid to step on some toes in order to change the world. I discuss with people on a daily basis, I am not afraid to offend people with honest answers and I can get furious when someone is plain ignorant. A few weeks ago I was told that feminism is overrated because men and women are already equal. When I asked that guy how 20% less payment for the same work, less job opportunities and only tiny chances to get into a leading position are a definition of "equal" he just looked at me with that typical "Oh my God, she is one of THOSE women"-look.
I was surprised. People expect me to be weird, nerdy, indoorsy and rude. They do not expect me to be a feminist. I thought about how i could change that. How can I let my style reflect my political views without loosing the frills, the skirts and the glitter? Then I realized: I don't have to change a thing. I wear what I love, no matter what. And that's exactly what feminism is about. It is about choices. Want to be a business woman? Great! A housewife? Great? A teacher? Great! A physisicst? Great! A Riot Girl? Great! a wall flower? Great!
There is no correct style for a feminist except for the one you personally feel comfortable in. Feminism is about breaking up gender stereotypes, we shouldn't start constructing new ones by creating a certain form of uniformity. We are all different while being all the same. That is truly great!
So I'm going to keep the glitter and all the black because that is who I am. A victorian goth. A Quaintrelle. A "feminin" woman. A feminist.
How do you stand on feminism?
Have a great day,
The Countess
I consider myself a feminist as well but in the dictionary sense of the word: i'm for the equality of men and women. i don't buy into that "men are evil and suppressing women on purpose" stff and i'm also not in favour of giving women unfair advantages. I found that both misconceptions are often associated with feminism.
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes it is necessary to help women out with for example a quota, especially when the statistics for a certain job area show that women often simply do not get the higher positions, no matter how qualified they are. Politics is a good example. We have Merkel but other than her the so called "hard" positions are always(!) taken by men. War, law, money are typical male areas in politics while family and education are the ones women get positions in. That is simply stupid.
DeleteOn the other hand I think it is important to beable to step back and have a look at the bigger picture: Where do men need support? How could feminism make sure that men who work with children do not raise suspicion to be perverts?
To me it is about equality, not about bashing the male gender, as you already said :)