So I recently found this website called
hellogiggles.com. Zooey Deschanel and two other women created it. Its amazing. Not only is it a website that swears off all negativity and destructive gossip; its actually an adorable website. They have everything from hair bow tutorials to cat videos to articles on why being called pretty isn't always a compliment to some girls. So cool. In the video on youtube discussing their creation Zooey says that she's a feminist who isn't a feminist. Which is silly to say yes I know but she explains that she believes in equality but she doesn't believe women or men should change their behavior. Be you! Just even the playing field a bit. When a girl does something amazing we shouldn't say, "wow, what a strong female. She is so awesome for a girl!" Sometimes I even think that myself. I know that sometimes we don't think that about every situation but it does still happen. One time I got invited to play basketball with some of my guy friends. Even though these were my close friends and I like playing basketball, at the moment I was really tired and simply not in the mood to play.
We've all been there. Anyways, after I told them no and said that I was tired and not feeling basketball today, like good friends they kept asking me. Then something changed. They started saying that they would make it easy for me, or that it really isn't that hard to play, and things like, "we'll make it a girl friendly game." Thats when I got slightly offended. I knew they meant nothing by it and were only trying to get me to play. I said no again but went home pretty peeved. Why did they have to change the rules just for me to play? I have played sports with them many times and never had they said anything like that. Conclusion. There is still a slight hint of sexism out there. Obviously it can't be changed over night but a girl needs to be able to get up on stage and tell a joke and be called a comedian and not, "oh cool, a female comedian."
I recently watched the movie Mona Lisa Smile. WONDERFUL MOVIE! I highly recommend it. (its on Netflix right now ;D) This movie is set in the 1950s when all that was required of a woman was to get married and be a mother and a homemaker. What's wrong with that? Nothing at all if that is what you want. What is wrong is assuming that is what every woman should want and her path to get there should be exactly the same. At first the movie made me think "Yeah! I don't need a man! I can get a degree in whatever I want! I can get a job and support myself and do whatever I want!!! GO WOMEN!!" but then as the movie progressed I realized,
that is what the movie is telling me I should want. It made the girl who got married in college look like the judging villain and the girl wanted to attend law school a hero. By the end of the movie it had changed. The only reason the first girl was more like a villain was because she was negative and judging and always put down others. It had nothing to do with her wanted to get married. And the second girl, while she wanted to attend Yale, she wanted to have a home and a family more. She was a hero because in the end she truly did what SHE wanted. And she shouldn't be judged for wanted to attend Yale, but aslo she shouldn't be judged for choosing a family over Law School. I like this idea of being a feminist but not a feminist. I don't have to change who I am. I can believe that for me and my life, I want a family. I want to be a mom. Most feminists would disagree. I believe that as women we shouldn't have to BE anything. We can be whoever we want, and get there however we like.
