My search to find the true meaning of 'feminism' has intensified over the years. Not to insinuate that mine is an all consuming passion to answer all questions pertaining to the state of feminism, but rather an on-going process to figure out what kind of woman I am, how that compares to my peers, and where we all fit in to society.
Throughout my adulthood, I have encountered many beautiful, intelligent women from all walks of life. We can relate to the physical sisterhood and bond based on our gender, roles, jobs, education, taste, lifestyles, hobbies, etc, etc, etc, etc. The one thing we never seem to agree on is the state of feminism and a woman's role in society.
Have 'we' made progress? Have we not? Are things the same since 1950, or different?
I don't know. I say that with a weary tone in my mind's voice. I do know though. I know what my life is, what my experiences are, where I come from and how I feel about myself situated in the world around me. And I often disagree with many of my peers. Or maybe they just disagree with me. It's not an unhealthy disagreement or debate to have, especially between us woman. In fact,we are really the only ones to have this debate, as we are the most affected by the outcome.
So, let's start in the beginning... who, or what, is a woman? Must she have a vagina? Ovaries? Breasts? Must she be conventionally pretty, maternal, soft-spoken? What if she used to own a penis, but traded it in for a better model? Shall she be invited to the feminine discourse that determines who and what we are as a group?
Maybe she still has a penis, but otherwise lives every moment of her life calling herself 'she'? Or should the 'real' we disqualify 'her' from our awesome little ya-ya group in the same way we have been discriminated form in the past?
This is only the beginning and it seems clear why everything is so convoluted.
Recently I came into contact with two pieces of literature that once again got me thinking about the current state of feminism. But I dislike the word feminism because it carries so much political baggage. I keep thinking about this whole topic as the state of being a woman, and how each of us individually owns our womanhood and what this means as a greater collective. The first was an article in Newsweek sent to me by my awesome friend, and the other is a book I am currently reading.
Both of these will be cited in my next post. I just want to throw these initial ideas out there. Furthermore, let me disclose that my information, ideas, and process' are anecdotal at worst and intuitive at best. I am not a scientist, I am not trying to please anyone, and I do not have a degree in this particular subject.
So with that being said, time to get busy being a woman.
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