A letter to my fellow feminists…

ClairFairy

by ClairFairy

Story

Feminism is a strong word with so much power to make or break a relationship of any kind. Nowadays feminists are everywhere letting the world know how powerful and emancipated women have become, but have they?

Not only is feminism a strong word but also a buzzword for generations Y and Z as well as an all-encompassing word for everything from the wage gap to equal chances at university and jobs, from different birthing choices to opening of doors by man. All of this and so much more is feminism, even when it is not always lived by.

So many books have been published on this topic and it is still something criticised and debated in society. We should encourage debates and conversations around the topic in order to put it in the open and create progress – maybe even change someone’s mind? Well, that might not happen, but a girl can dream.

Recently I was part of a conference where in a break while talking with fellow conference participants I was asked on my opinion on feminism. The sad part was that I hesitated and weighted my answer very carefully, due to the fact that the others were males and did not really seem open to feminists, also the setting was not right to start such a discussion, therefore I hesitated to answer directly and successfully avoided saying anything. After the conversation was over and we all moved back to the task at hand, I felt relived, maybe even a little proud to have answered so diplomatically. My success did not last long as I came home and saw my pink feminist book on my nightstand, I felt outright ashamed for not saying that YES I am a huge feminist.

How did I come from Wonder Woman comics, free the nipple movement, #metoo movement to calculating how to answer a simple question? It scares me to think that it could be possible for me to go from screaming for equal pay for equal work to avoiding a simple question. I have a theory, maybe for my own peace of mind, but hear me out – it’s the change in environment. You go from the university/high school idealism where we were taught that we could reach the stars if we try hard enough to the work environment where you have to pay attention at the others and what conversations you start.

Feminism has become such an encompassing strong word with so many connotations, implications and expectations, that it becomes hard to define using only one word. I saw feminist bosses (women) or so-called feminists discourage other women in the workplace and dismissing their opinions as easy as any stereotypical male boss. But at the same time, I saw women / men push each other / women higher to reach for the stars and not feel discouraged, and this was the most inspirational thing that I could see.

So ask yourself are you a feminist out in the open? Or are you a closet feminist like my book on the nightstand? Both are viable options and as long as you discuss the topic you are making a change. The next time when someone asks me if I am a feminist, I know what I will answer. Yes, thank you for bringing this topic up!

© ClairFairy 2021-03-18

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