evo-lili-lution

My feminism is evolving. Like the evolution of humans it moving however, at a very gradual pace. I’m addressing how it is evolving recently because unfortunately recently no real significant instances of my acceptance of others point of view have occurred. But perhaps this lack of openness challenging is an aspect of my evolution. Not to at all give the impression my feminism was undeveloped or immature previous to the recent months of my university education. But feminism was such an accepted part of my personality, or person that it was almost passive. Like my veganism it was something that is well established and deep engrained but so natural to me only brought up when necessary and later on with new acquaintances. The fact is I don’t get up and display my veganism even though it has existed within me since age 11, but my feminism whether I fully acknowledged it or not has existed ever since I could understand what my mother and her friends from OPIRG were talking about. My feminism is a crucial part of who I am but more so in the sense of No Doubts iconic song, “I’m Just a Girl”. Ever-present but perhaps not present. However crossing over from my last winter semester and the most recent fall semester I have decided to take solely Woman’s Studies courses instead of breaking them up with my other major English courses and political science courses. Not to say that both of these disciplines are not important to me but as a person, and a person who can possibly make an effect on the world Woman’s Studies does more for me.
Though I have been in Woman’s Studies ever since first year I truly have to thank the higher level professors for not simply their teaching styles but the integral readings chosen that have broadened my image of feminism and greatly the vigilant students in these classes as well.
Because feminism has come so naturally within my family I have recently realised I’ve taken its importance and relevance to my literal everyday life for granted. I would never go so far as to say I ever hid my feminism or let openly sexist discourse fly by me. But maybe I could previously blend in and didn’t wear my feminism on my sleeve as I feel I do much more recently. In the past 6 to 8 months mixed with life experiences that have that created a need for a more every day feminism and a heavier load of academic feminism all parts of my life are entwined with my feminist ideals. Now that if not on a daily basis at least on a weekly basis I find myself not only having to defend and bring up my own beliefs but expanding the backlash driven common interpretations of feminism.
Not that the ways I approach the world and pop culture specifically have changed, I still have an appetite for fashion magazines, rap music, and television in general. However my serving of all these has gone on a much stricter diet. Previously for example, when soap operas and gossip magazines would be ruled out, television shows that demonstrate a single instance of heteronormativity and modest sexism are ruled out; along with magazines I previously devoured in record speed are much more closely evaluated with their choice of modestly racist advertisements and promotionally sexist advice columns fuel for boycott.
Being a feminist and more specifically a Women’s Studies student, I like many other women in the program often encounter men objectively asking if I’m not one of those “hard-core feminists”. In the past when I would previously asked a man, or even non-feminist woman to define what a hard-core feminist was now Ill simply say something along the lines of any feminist is a hard-core feminist…At least I hope so.
While the, “personal is political” is and has been a relevant theme in my life, with simple acts of activism and open dialogue of the daily injustices in our society I no longer feel the need to internally absorb the regular injustices I witness and regularly voice the harsh realities of our still very backward society with not simply my very feminist mother and sister but openly “non-feminist” female friends and trepidatious males. I’m sure with this new stances I’ve had friends who may feel the need to keep me at arm’s length or “suitors” who have been disinterested but so be it. In fact my now EXTREMELY open evolved feminism is saving me discovering months and years into friendships and relationships that my fundamental beliefs which aren’t simply ideas but ideas that shape every aspect of my life oppose those of friends too much for my mental health to withstand. My feminism has evolved from a belief to a navigational force and friend finder :)