Today I did something really, really indicative of myself.
I set up a new clothing rack to fit all of my wardrobe until the imminent move to the city and out of the parental housing unit.
Some people have external hard drives.... I have an external closet.
I also spent some time getting re acquainted with my shoe collection, half of which was left in North America while I gallivanted around Europe for 9 months*...
Specifically a Steve Madden wedge with black ankle ties which I have YET to wear EVER.... Here's hoping that they are still in season next summer...
I really do come off as a ditsy girl sometimes, don't I?
I wonder if it were a man who had varied interests, such as politics, economics, international relations and what not, were to talk at random about cars and the rebuilding of a 1967 mustang convertible.... would he then be taken for a muscle car dumb jock?
Bringing me to my next topic: Feminism.
Recently (read, yesterday), I was chatting with a friend about a possible job opening in her company.** She works for a not for profit community centered organization that holds the mandate of female, specifically young girl, empowerment and cultivation through leadership and role models.
In discussion, I dropped the word: feminism.
OH. MY. GOD. You would have think I said something praising about Hitler by her reaction. "We Are NOT feminists," she shouted.
"Do you not stand for the empowerment of young girls and women alike?"
"Yes. But NEVER use the word 'feminist' when describing us."
Let's take a second and talk about this, shall we? WHAT. The. Hell. I used to teach a first year University class, in which I would always ask one question to start things off: "Who here is a feminist?"
No one...maybe one...raised their hands.
"What if I told you that siplified, feminism is the idea that women have the right to vote, they are considered a person, and they have the rights over their own body as a person would? What then? Oh and boys? You can be feminists too.... you know, if you have a sister, female friend, mother, aunt, wife that you feel might be entitled to these rights"
Everyone, almost, would then raise their hand.
Now, I agree that in the present context of political ideology and speak, there is a disjunct between rhetoric of feminist equality ideals and the scary bull dyke blaming man for global warming while burning her bra with a butane torch.... but come ON.
How did this word get so scary to us? To WOMEN? So sacry that we aren't to repeat it to our daughters, our children, our employers or our female colleagues?
When did my desire to actually be paid the same amount in the work place as a male counterpart, which we are still NOT in Canada (a developed nation), become a "difference of opinion on the meaning of a word"?
When did my vehement and passionate response to prostitution being the only profession that a lower class woman can stumble into, in south east asian countries, and sometimes even my own, become a condemnation?
When did my absolute disgust that women are still overlooked in ALL United Nation Charters and the institution itself; And the fact that women have a higher rate of HIV and AIDs world wide, while being ignored, become a point that I should avoid or hush up about during an interview for an organization that is meant to be showing girls how to step up and speak out?
When? And where the hell was I when this happened?
And I would love to say that this is my opinion, and as such others are entitled to their own....but that's just ludicrous. I'm totally right here. And for my friend to say that we simply have a difference of opinion about it made me so mad that I don't even want to take that part time job.... and I wont. I can't work for an organization that endorses hypocritical and condescening, uneducated views like that.
For futher reading.........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism
KK.
* Heels and cobblestone are a messy messy combo
** All conversations that I have these days lead to the potentiality of employment....
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