If you support equal rights for women, I’m sorry to break it to you, but you are a feminist.
I do not know how many times I have been told to put my “feminism behind” me or how many times it has had a bad connotation attached to it.
Why is the term feminist even a label? Can it simply be a conscious choice to take advantage of our freedom and have respect for those who surround us?
The other day I was addressing this same issue.
I should not have to change what I am wearing because “boys will be boys.” Never should I, or anyone else, feel like they are a walking bloody piece of meat, cautious of the lions out on the prowl.
Everyone has the right to feel safe.
During the weekend, my mother was telling me about a horrifying situation in her past that still makes her cringe to this day.
My older sister and I were younger at the time, four and five, and she had just gotten off work. She was exhausted, and after working so many hours every day, she simply wanted to come home and go to bed.
When she entered her home, there were seven guys she had never met in her living room, and beer cans everywhere. Frustrated but tired, she chose to ignore it.
She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth before bed when she overheard her now ex-husband and his friends reminiscing on their “college days.”
They laughed and joked about things no gentleman should do when alcohol is involved.
Now, my ex-step dad was not involved in this “fun time,” but his laughter and support of his friend’s behavior is just as bad as if he had been there, too.
Obviously, she could not hold it in any longer. She flipped out, and forced them out of her house, but it was his involvement in the story which made her even more furious.
You do not have to dedicate every minute, every second or every hour of your life to promoting equal rights; simply be aware of the issues in society. And have enough decency to call someone out when they are being disrespectful or degrading, even if they are your friends.
Be the bigger person. When you know something is wrong, speak up. If you overhear a degrading, racist, sexist or harassing comment, say it makes you uncomfortable.
Who you chose to surround yourself with and whom you chose to be a part of your life has a direct reflection on you. Focus on making each other better people, rather than simply going along with your pals.
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