My thoughts exactly Zooey:
I would not hesitate to call myself a feminist. Since the time I was little I was taught that being female was something to be proud of and it should never hold me back. I went through life knowing that I was worthy of every single opportunity a man was, and I was not afraid to voice that opinion. At the same time I grew up a total girly girl. I did ballet and played with dolls, I loved purple and pink, amd I adhered to everything traditionally feminine simply because I preferred it. It was never that I felt I couldn’t play with trucks or building sets, it was just that I truly had no interest in those things. That remains true today, and somehow to others that means I am less of a feminist.
I will never forget my experience being told feminine was weak or bad. A friend of mine insisted that “girly” things were stupid and made us weak. She said that she hated how girls always were worried about messing up their hair or breaking a nail. She didn’t care about stupid girlie things— she wanted to play sports and I needed to as well. I don’t think either of us knew it at the time, but we were being conditioned to ignore feminine things because they were seen as inferior. When I got to high school I became more aware of just how many girls had internalized misogyny or the internalized belief that men are superior. It became apparent in girls who insisted they only wanted male friends because girls were too catty or drama filled, or that they despised makeup because it was a frivolous waste of time. These statements came from other students and friends, a lot of who claimed to be feminists. I found quickly that other people, mainly other girls, took me less serious as a student and a feminist because of how I dressed or chose to present myself.
I am proud to call myself a feminist, but I will not masculinize myself to be taken seriously. I genuinely enjoy makeup and heels, I wear hair bows and skirts on almost a daily basis, and I cannot wait to be a mother someday. Those are all things that I love, not because society says I should, but because I always have. I have no interest in doing traditionally masculine things, but I will fight for women to have the right to do so. Feminism is supporting a woman’s choice to be a mother, a CEO, or both; her choice to join a sorority or wear men’s clothing; her choice to be a cheerleader or a hockey player. I will continue to fight for equalities of women of all races and sexualities because that is what makes a person a feminist. But I will do it in heels.