High school is a time of development, learning, and socialization with one’s peers. Although nobody’s high school experience is perfect, it can be difficult to find oneself during this time of understanding the world around us. We all know the classic labels from the high school movies we saw as children: the jock, the cheerleader, the nerd, even the teacher’s pet. But there is one label that I never thought existed until I was given that title. I was the “crazy feminist” in high school, and I am proud.
I know what you’re all thinking; why wouldn’t you be proud of being known as an avant-garde activist for gender equality? Looking back, I know now that I should have felt content with who I was and am, but there was a certain stigma, a brand almost, to who I was and what I fought for among my peers. The “this is what a feminist looks like” pin on my backpack, the constant vocalization during important class discussions, and the weekly speeches in the debate club were what I was known for. And although this all seems totally normal to me now, I see how it may have been overwhelming for those who were used to me holding my tongue. Although recalling my experience as the raging feminist in high school conjures up countless memories, I don’t want this article to be all about me.
Reminiscing on the reactions I received when I began opening up about the opinions I hold dear leads me to the discussion of why being a feminist isn’t a negative thing. Often times people mistake feminists for misandrists and this brings a negative connotation to feminism as a whole. It leads people to assume that anyone who refers to themself as a feminist “hates men.” Not only is this assumption completely untrue, but it also does a lot to disarm the feminist theory. The validity of the feminist movement is constantly in question by those who oppose the message that many feminists work to convey, and by creating a narrative for the movement that is utterly inaccurate, many begin to assume the worst of all true feminists.
Being known as the crazy feminist girl was something that I felt ashamed of for a very long time, but now when I look back on that time in my life, I realize how the negativity surrounding the feminist movement may have caused people to view this title in an unfavorable manner. Although we have progressed very far as a society in the past few decades, there is still room for change and improvement.
“Feminist” isn’t a bad word, and we must acknowledge this. There is so much left to fight for. The social, legal, and economic oppression experienced by women globally is something that must be addressed and overcome. Women are treated as second-class citizens in many parts of the world, their rights constantly being stripped or ignored, which is what causes anger in us feminists. Feminism is something to be proud of, and we need it now more than ever.