Happy Women's Day!
Happy International Women's Day everyone! Please make sure to pamper yourself (if you identify as a woman) and those women in your lives!
Being a woman today is, to use Martha's words, a 'good thing.' Being a feminist for me doesn't mean i'm not supportive of men or think anyone is better, but we still live in a patriachal world. So, i think it's important to love being a woman. I am proud of being a woman for so many reasons, but here are 10 just to share with you:
1) I love wearing heels but also being able to walk in them with confidence
2) Nothing beats the clitoris
3) My breasts are big, beautiful, and mine
4) I am proud of being 'emotional' aka sensitive, compassionate, loving, and caring
5) I can cook, bake, unplug the toilet and program the VCR
6) I love my connections with the women in my life
7) I celebrate my period
8) Nothing beats a pregnant woman's glow
9) I knit, wear aprons, and love getting my hands dirty
10) I love using my voice and i will be on Saturday at the march
What are some of your reasons?
Today, i promise myself to eat a great dinner, buy myself flowers, splurge on good chocolate, and be loved by my man....
What will you do to celebrate yourself today?
posted by vania @ 9:47 PM
8 Comments:
Happy IWD to you too! See you Saturday!
Very nicely stated, Vania!
Enjoy your self-pampering today :D
yes, happy iwd, vania! it irks me that people are still afraid of the word "feminist". i don't get it! i don't think i've seen a woman/celebrity gladly proclaim they are a feminist when asked by "bust" magazine for at least a year. it makes me sad.
I once read an article in Bust magazine where Bjork was asked if she was a "feminist" and she said she didn't feel like she was one.
I respect her decision. She is a succesful woman in a Capitalist world making oodles of money and doesn't feel threatened or oppressed by a patriarchal society.
Perhaps these female musicians and celebrities are not the ones who should be answering the question: "are you a feminist?" It should be blue collar workers, women making minimum wage, migrant workers from Mexico cleaning rich celebrity homes. These are the true faces of oppression and exploitation.
Asking if someone is a "feminist" is not a simple "yes" or "no" answer. It warrants discussion about the person, the way they were raised, the society in which they were raised, their personal history and relationships with men and women, etc, etc.
The irony in all this is, that although Bjork is still reluctant to dub herself a "feminist" it seems she has become more accepting of the term.
Here is an interesting article about "feminism" from Bjork's perspective:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/
review/story/0,6903,1436296,00.html
Krissy and Jodi, thanks for this dialogue. I too think it would be great to see us 'regular folks' identify as feminists, but when our supposed 'role models' don't even do so, it seems hard for us to. I chatted about IWD with a group of women this week and one shared she is not a feminist but she went on to complain about women's wages being lower than mens as well as the lack of women in parliament. Seems sometimes the word feminist still has a negative stigma and stereotpye that make people hesitant to label themselves.
i too am saddened when i read those Bust articles, and thanks for the link Jodi!
i am proud to be a Feminist!
i guess i don't know what being "feminist" means any more. i think i've said this before but the reason i don't really call myself a feminist is because i've been told so many times that my views (for instance being pro-p*rn) are "anti-feminist" so i just decided to take people's word for it that i'm not a feminist. also, there are a lot of ideas that many people call "feminist" that i don't agree with or care much about. so i guess i am just tired of fighting to define "feminist" in a way that i'm comfortable with and figure what's the point of needing a label anyway?
i know this example won't mean much to canadians, but even though i almost always vote democrat i don't consider myself a "democrat" either. i think a lot of people these days don't like applying labels to themselves, it's not that they are particularly against being feminist.
Thanks for all your comments everyone. I think the concept of labelling ourselves vs others doing it for us is worth more discussion. i think i will delve in it deeper for my next post - Jen, however you identify is what matters, i think. If you feel you are a feminist (or not), than that's it - feminism is a very fluid thing and doesn't fit each person's vision the same way.
Great post. And great resulting discussion.
It is frustrating that the label "feminist" is seen as a negative sometimes. I believe it means different things to different people and that is the essence of it. I am proud to call myself a feminist.
And on a totally unrelated note, I really REALLY love your new banner!
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