To me, feminism is women empowering other women and having equality between men and women. Feminism is important because without feminism I would probably not have the opportunity to go to college and get a higher education. Without feminism, I would have to stay at home and be a good housewife for my husband who would be the sole breadwinner of the family. I am glad we have feminism and women activists who are out there fighting for our rights. Feminists have provided me with a life where I have the opportunity to be what I want to be which is to be in the entertainment industry. I want to be a cinematographer and these feminist activists are helping me get there. Someone inspirational to me is Frances McDormand. Her speech at the 2018 Oscars affected me because she raised so much awareness that we need more inclusion in the entertainment industry. She is a feminist I look up to for helping pace the way on inclusion and diversity in the entertainment industry. She has impacted my view on feminism because she fights for inclusion in a typically male-dominated field. Frances McDormand is an inspiration to me because she is inspiring me to continue working to get into the entertainment industry so that one day I can be the one giving a speech like hers at an award show. At my school, I am contributing to feminism by being the president of the Girls Who Code Club. Our Girls Who Code club meets every other week. This club is helping young women get into coding and start to get more into a typically male-dominated field. I enjoy this club because it always me to bond with other girls from my school and allows us to do something fun together. Any career involving technology is typically a male-dominated field. Girls Who Code allows girls at my school to be introduced to coding in a laid-back way where they do not have to feel intimidated. All of the girls who go to the meetings want to be there and want to learn more about coding. Another thing I do for the feminist movement at my school is by working at my school's helpdesk. At the helpdesk, we do in-house computer repairs for all of the students who attend the school. The school does an open house every year and it is sad to see how many men think that we girls are just playing games and do not know how to fix the computer. I am a trained technician who knows what she is doing and knows how to fix a computer. By being a technician, I hope to inspire other young girls to go into more typically male-dominated careers.
To me, feminism is the product of a breaking point. It results from centuries of homemaking, corset-wearing, and walking to our cars with our keys between our fingers. It is the result of biting our tounges while others say, "a lady should be seen but not heard" and "well, what was she wearing that night?" Feminism is honoring those who did before us, from Elizabeth Cady Sutton to Ruth Bader Ginsburg; these women, and many more, made feminism possible. Not in the sense that they paved the road that we now must blindly follow, but rather that they passed on their efforts as if in a relay race against the patriarchy. Today, it is my generation's turn to take the torch and light our way in the shadows of those who came before us. It is our turn to make a change, and I intend to contribute.
I feel as if I was born with an innate awareness of feminism and inequality, an inherent belonging to the feminist community, and a withstanding determination to leave my mark. My mission to make a difference was nurtured by a mirroring determination of my mother. However, it wasn't until about 6th grade that two women, in particular, showed me how I would make that mission a success; their names were Joan Didion and Gloria Steinem. They taught me the power of the written word and its influence when backed with passion. Since then, in the likeness of my idols, I have dedicated myself to the art of journalism, reinforced by my intention to use it for good. Accordingly, I am a staff writer for my school's award-winning publication, Feedback Magazine. Thus far, I have published articles concerning inclusion, mental health, discrimination, and gender inequality. My work with Feedback aligns with My most defining goal; to continue and grow my writing career outside of high school and use my words to reach the people, the women who need them.
Feminism is a product of a breaking point. We are so fed up with so many things that each day seems to be topped with a final straw. That is why this movement is indefinitely and everlastingly necessary. It was necessary in 1848, 1963, and 2022. Feminism is honoring those who did before us because what they did was challenging and without a manual. While we can not follow in their footsteps exactly, we can let their mistakes and successes influence and guide where our stilettos take us today.
Feminism: The defense of women both politically and personally. What a dangerous word to say over a dinner table with the family. Who knew that one word, one belief system, could cause such small but so many waves between a father and a daughter?
"I'm a feminist." I said. "you'll get smarter as you get older..." He said. How can a grown man who has a daughter not be a feminist? In better words, how can a grown man who has a daughter not support women's rights? I could never answer that question because the reason is and will forever be beyond my comprehension.
On July 23, 2020, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave a speech regarding the words spoken about her in confidence to news reporters and her. She said "These are the words that Representative Yoho, levied, against a congresswoman. The congresswoman that not only represents New Yorks's Fourteenth Congressional District, but every congresswoman and every woman in this country." "And every woman in this country." She hit that line perfectly.
Whether it's walking down the hallway and a boy moaning in your ear as a joke, a male teacher making an inappropriate comment, or a car full of boys slowing down and staring when they pass you on the street. All of those things are routine. They are expected and anticipated. That speech that AOC gave has stuck with me since I heard it in 2020. No matter how many boys called me too radical or too dramatic, it never stuck, because they are just boys but I am not just a girl.
When 2020 first began, I was 12 years old and my dad spat his anti-feminist ideas at me. I slowly agreed with him because I never made any opinions of my own yet. Then I got social media, and then I got slightly older, and then I started to see the world from the perspective of a girl. It was about time to because I had been hearing about it from a man my whole life.
How do I contribute to the feminist movement in my school? I contribute by just existing. I contribute by not being scared to yell over boys when they talk over me. I contribute by catching what is thrown at me by men and hurling it back ten times faster. Contribution happens by acting bigger than you might be. It happens with the words in your mouth and what you say and how you say it. I contribute by existing. Which is proven to be harder than I could have anticipated.
