what do you say when your whole world is turned upside down?

feminism.

i can no longer take a somewhat hands-off approach to it. i can no longer self-righteously think that i don't need feminism because i'm happy in being the woman that i am. i can no longer pretend that it doesn't matter.

jaigris, you're right. if feminism is simply about equality between men and women, why wouldn't everyone WANT to be a feminist? i had to pause the podcast when that point was made. i needed it to sink in, and to think about what that means to me.

i have always seen feminists as hard, angry women who are out to make their mark, and to "get what they deserve." i don't want to be a ball-buster, or think that just because i'm a woman, i have all kinds of entitlement headed my way. i don't want to try to have it all, just because i can. whatever i do, i want it to be because i'm completely sold out to it - building my career, or potentially building a family.

fair or not, i think that there has to be a compromise. and jaigris, you said it. i want to be a feminist because i believe in equality between women and men. i believe that women and men are equal in their value as human beings. do i think that should mean that a company should have X number of female executives just to "look" the part of an equal opportunity employer? no. i think that those positions should be earned, based on merit, not sex.

i work in an organization that has one female vice-president. she happens to be the wife of the CEO, which could potentially look nepotist, but the fact is that she is extremely talented, competent, and well-spoken. i applaud her for her role, and i think it is well deserved. the rest of the executive are men. and to be honest, there's not a one of them that should be replaced. they are all exceptional, talented, and visionary men, who i admire greatly. when those characteristics are what define a person in the workplace, gender matters little - it could be a man, could be a woman. what really matters is performance. one day, i have no doubt that an exceptional, talented, and visionary woman will step into one of those roles. i hope that it's because of those qualities, not because she happens to be a woman. i hope that it's me!

i still clearly have a lot of work to do to deprogram myself of my previous views about feminists. what i want so much is to experience life as a feminist who is not seen as hard and angry, but as a true advocate for equality and freedom of gender expression.

what a life!

p.s. i chose this "girlie" website template because i love it, and for no other reason!