In this day and age, the word “feminist” has a negative connotation. It conjures images of women bra-burning in the streets or angrily yelling “smash the patriarchy”.
Well, this isn’t one of those posts. Partially because that’s not what feminism means to me and partially because I would never burn my bras. I need those puppies too much on a daily basis.
To me, being a feminist is simply having your actions strive towards the goal of gender equality. More than just equal wages. In my opinion, the goal of feminism is to have a day when we don’t even need to worry about equal pay. A day when the thought doesn’t even cross our minds. When women don’t get threatened for attempting to rise above their station or take what was historically a “man’s job”.
What I’m Wearing:
Dress: Ann Taylor (similar) / Clutch: Mar y Sol / Shoes: Vince Camuto
Scarf: Ann Taylor / Earrings: Etsy / Pineapple Ring: Ann Taylor / Crown Ring: BaubleBar
In undergrad, as an engineer, I was stopped to ask if I was lost in the engineering quad every single day. And women were relatively commonplace in my program (about 35-40% women). But the frequency of being asked that simple question still led me to believe that, for whatever reason, I didn’t belong.
All of my work experiences have been in male-dominated industries: technology, oil, and now consulting. Years ago (and definitely not in my current job), I was told that the reason why I didn’t make as much money as the guys on my team was because “girls don’t need as much money as men do”.
First off: …what?
Second: are you sure about that? Everything from our razors to our haircuts cost more then their male counterparts.
And then there’s that whole election thing from last year, which left so many women like me feeling disheartened – a reminder that the glass ceiling still can exist.
Thankfully,
I may be feminine A.F., but that doesn’t mean I’m any less of a feminist. Feminism doesn’t mean wearing suits in order to feel powerful in a man’s world. At least to me, it means wearing whatever the hell you want to wear and naturally feeling confident and powerful because you are the equal of everybody else in the room.
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