A Reflection: Feminism and Personal Growth
This blog has grown so much in the past few months, and I feel I have grown so much with this blog and the sharing of ideas here, so I figured now is an appropriate time for a reflection. Warning: Some gushy, touchy-feely-ness ahead.
I started this blog in June as a way to keep track of my work for grad school – two feminist projects completed within two months. I just wanted a way to easily compile and organize information and I hoped to receive some feedback while I was at it. Thanks to all of you, it has gone much farther than that, and while this blog has been growing, I have been growing, too. I’ve been seeing feminism and being a woman in a new way, and it has helped me become a better person all around. I used to dislike dealing with women and girls. I was that girl who was always better friends with all the guys than with the other girls because I hated the competition between us that inevitably happened. Last year, I enjoyed having all boys in my classes because I felt they were easier to deal with than girls. I wanted sons eventually, not daughters. I hated when women would tell me how to act, and because of that, I rarely associated with them.
I see women differently, now. I see BEING a woman differently, now. When you understand the relationships between women, and when you begin to associate with women who empower you, not with those who cut you down, you begin to see how powerful women could collectively be if we all stopped competing with each other.
I even see my relationship differently. I used to think being a feminist in a relationship was all about asserting your independence, to the point of pushing your partner away. Now, I see that feminist relationships are about having an equal partnership, and that being partners is even more fulfilling than just being independent.
I now see blogging as having a purpose. I started with my personal blog about a year ago, just as a way to update people on the happenings of my life, but I didn’t really see a purpose to all the time I had spent on it. Now, thanks to my interaction with the wonderful women who have participated in my literacy interview, I see blogging as a form of activism. We are spreading important information, we are tweeting-up, we are talking about important things, and it can only get better from here.
And all of this has been all because of you wonderful women who have shown me how wonderful it is to be, help, mentor, talk to, laugh with, share accomplishments with, and be a feminist with other amazing women.
I feel empowered now, and I want to make a difference, to go out into the world and make a real change. And I have you to thank.
Please, before you leave this page, leave a comment about your reflection on being a feminist. And stop by a page or two (or all of them!) from my blogroll. These are the wonderful women who have made such a difference in my life.
I’ve only “known” you for a short time but simply by contributing to the conversation, you are making a difference. I can’t wait to see what the future holds (for both of us)!
“Now, I see that feminist relationships are about having an equal partnership, and that being partners is even more fulfilling than just being independent.”
YES. I view my own relationship this way, and I think we both still, even with very progressive men, are seeing the little ways that sexism is inherent in our lives and relationships. The important thing is that we recognize it and speak up.
A note on blogging as a form of activism: You, Ashley, were the one to first make me realize that what I was doing was a form of activism, and I feel empowered because of it. Women have a strong online voice, and it is by harnessing that power that we can enact change. Way to go, feminist bloggers!
As for my own personal reflection, I always knew I was a feminist, there was no “aha!” moment for me. However, there were peaks and valleys throughout my life where I felt the need to suppress my views, or simply didn’t have enough energy to speak out anymore. With the community of feminists I’ve found online, I know I’ll always be supported to speak out whenever needed, and they’ll re-energize me to catch my breath!
Thanks for a great post, Ashley. Keep on truckin’.
Like you, I was that girl that felt more comfortable around guys than girls. I felt intimidated by the other girls, and in person I still do (depending on the situation); but through blogging I’ve observed my sister’s mommy-blogger community and the bonds those women have forged, and the friendships I’ve formed with other women through blogging and other online interaction.
I’m still “new” at calling myself a feminist, because I’ve always been a girlie-girl and have some old-fashioned ideas that I thought would make the feminist community not like me. But once I became part of the community, I realized how silly those ideas were. Looking forward to continuing this journey with y’all! 🙂
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