Hardcore Feminism

"What's the worst thing you can call a woman? Don't hold back, now. You are probably thinking of words like slut, whore, bitch, cunt (I told you not to hold back!), skank. Okay, now, what are the worst things you can call a guy? Fag, girl, bitch, pussy. I've even heard the term 'mangina'. Notice anything? The worst thing you can call a girl is a girl. The worst thing you can call a guy is a girl. Being a woman is the ultimate insult. Now tell me that's not royally fucked up. Most young women know that something is off. Do you think it's fair that a guy makes more money doing the same job as you? Does it piss you off and scare you when you find out about your friends getting raped? Do you ever feel like shit about your body? Do you ever feel like something is wrong because you don't fit into this bizarre ideal of what girls are supposed to be like? Well, my friend, I hate to break it to you, but you are a hardcore feminist. We're all brought up to feel like something is wrong with us. We're too fat. We're dumb. We're too smart. We're not ladylike enough - stop cursing, chewing with your mouth open, speaking your mind. We're too slutty. We aren't slutty enough. Fuck that. There are plenty of folks who believe that Feminism has achieved its goal. The 1998 Time magazine article 'Is Feminism Dead?' said, 'If the women's movement were still useful, it would have something to say; it's dead because it has won.' There's no doubt that women have made progress, but just because we get to vote and have the 'right' to work doesn't mean things are peachy keen. Anyone who can say that women have 'won', that all is well and good now, should ask why the president of Harvard can say that maybe women are naturally worse at math and then have people actually take him seriously. Or why a teacher can still get fired for being pregnant and unmarried. Seriously, are things really cool the way they are when so many of us are upchucking our meals and getting raped and beat up and being paid less money than men? And being denied birth control, and being told not to have sex but be sexy and a hundred other things that make us feel shitty? It can be better. It has to be. If feminism is dead, then why do people have to keep on trying to kill it? Feminism is the media's favorite punching bag. Don't forget - there are a lot of people benefitting from your feeling like shit about yourself. Think about it: If you don't feel fat, you won't be buying firming lotions and diet pills. If you don't feel stupid, you might speak out against all the screwy laws that adversely affect women. It pays - literally- to keep women half there. And god forbid you get involved with anything that would make you wonder why in the world women are having surgery to make their vaginas 'prettier'. The solution? Don't fall for it. If feminism isn't for you, fine. But find that our for yourself. I'm betting that you are more likely to be into something that encourages you to recognize that you're already pretty badass than something that insists that you're a fat, dumb chick."


Excerpt from Full Frontal Feminism, by Jessica Valenti