Provoking Thoughts from a Stranger (or Kindred Spirit).

I've been thinking a lot lately about if I am a feminist. (Especially with this going around the Interwebs a few weeks ago.) If I am a feminist, I doubt I'm a very extreme one.

So then I stumbled upon this excerpt from the lovely Meg Fee:

"And then I began to think about how if I attempted to write (or okay, let's call a spade a spade, blog) about attraction then Anonymous would be sure to skewer me because heaven forbid a woman knows what she wants--physically or otherwise. So we can then add knowing-what-we-want to the list of things women are not encouraged to do, which I'm pretty sure also includes aging-gracefully and the-right-to-vote (which this last one I thought we took care of in 1920 but I came across a tweet today which led to a blog and apparently it's a thing again) and can we then take a minute to talk about how it's women that are holding each other back? How each and every last one of us does not proudly admit to being a feminist is simply beyond me. I am a feminist. This does not mean I burn bras. This does not mean I hate men. This means I think women have a voice and an unparalleled strength and a unique set of gifts. Women have birthed empires. And if you try to use religion on me and start talking about your god versus my god and how it's the Lord's will that women submit to a male authority then I will simply lose my shit. I mean, I will. I will lose my shit right here, right now, right over all that's to follow. Because the whole your god, my god thing is enough to make me end the conversation right then and there--it's entitled and possessive and wholly small in a way that seems so very against the spirit of things."

And that is precisely how I feel. Colorful language and all.

(And look, I don't know much, but what I do know is that if it weren't for feminists, my mom would not be where she is now, vice president of a successful and steadily growing company, able to provide well for our family for eight years and counting. That couldn't have happened thirty years ago and I'd say that's pretty damn amazing, not to mention incredibly important.)