Are You a Feminist?

Are You a Feminist?
It sounds like a no-brainer to me. Of course, I am a Feminist! What woman isn’t?

I grew up in the late 60’s, early 70’s, when Feminism was at the forefront of mainstream media. It was almost impossible to turn on the news, or read a newspaper or magazine, without hearing about the movement. 

As a girl, I came to understand what these women were so passionate about - equal pay, gender equality, rights over their own bodies. And also as a child, I was unaware that we didn’t already have these rights. Weren’t girls equal to boys? Wait a minute, why are we treated differently? 

I remember a woman who handed me a necklace with the letters “N O W”. It was heavy, with a thick long chain and a large NOW logo hanging from it. I slipped it over my head and held the medallion in my small hand, not knowing what it meant. But the small group of ladies smiled and expressed words of approval and strength. I felt empowered for a moment, like I was one of them. It wasn’t until many years later that I realized what NOW stood for - National Organization for Women.

I remember the victory of Roe v Wade, and how it changed the landscape of women’s rights over their own bodies. It was a huge win, one in which I would reap the benefits of in the early 80’s as a teenaged girl. The right to legal abortion became commonplace, a fundamental right for women, as it should be. 

With the overturn of Roe v Wade, it is evident that we still face an upward battle. But the fire still burns, the protests still remain, and change is still hopeful. I see it in the younger generations of women and girls, in the older generations who faced more discrimination than I will ever know, and in a powerful future of women leaders. 

Are you a feminist? I’d love to hear your stories. All of you, old and young. I’m reaching out to you for inspiration. Shoot me an email, tell me your stories, share your experiences. I'm putting together a photography concept, and I'm eager to meet you all!

fem·i·nist /ˈfemənəst/ noun

1. an advocate of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes; a person who supports feminism. 

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