Have you ever felt terrified to hear footsteps behind you while you were walking on the street? Have you ever felt relieved when you turned back and saw a girl instead of a guy? Many women have the same feeling as well. The abuse threat is out there, and sometimes, we believe we can do nothing about it. But there’s an obvious solution that you may never thought about: what if you and that girl walked together to avoid harassment? A 25-year-old journalist put this idea in practice and created a movement, endorsed by 300,000 Facebook users.
Last month, Babi Souza launched her first book, inspired by the community movement’s stories. “Vamos Juntas? – O Guia da Sororidade Para Todas” talks about feminism, sorority and empowering, also exposing some of her inspirational stories.
The author believes that feminism is a reaction movement, in which women deconstruct the normality of harassments. “I think they’re like homeopathic doses of sexual abuse”, says Babi. Girls need and have the right of doing something against it, and must eliminate the guilt they put on themselves when those attacks happen.
The movement reinforces the importance of being brave not only for yourself, but for other girls too. “A reader once related her story, in which she told her grandmother about the abuses she suffered from her uncle, and the old woman wouldn’t do nothing. A time went by, and the man harassed another girl, who related him to the police and saved both teenagers from the terrible experience”.
Souza only discovered herself as a feminist few years ago, and believes that Vamos Juntas? walks side by side with her, making her discover many new things and feelings. She sees every single woman as an educator, as a feminism democrat. “There are feminists that fight in a different way of mine, and it’s important that each one of them find their way of sharing their knowledge. Even though the feminist movement has become huge nowadays, I still believe in micro-revolutions. The community itself was created to be a thing just between the girls I worked with. I never thought it’d become such a great thing.”
This democratic feminism is one of the strongest features of the book, once the movement counts with really young activists. “We see many 13 years old on the page, and I put my hopes on them. These young girls have the energy and the strength to spread feminism around. Living in the patriarchal society for less time, they easily question its costumes, and aren’t conformed to its paradigms.”
With great sympathy and joy, Babi Souza shows us how easy sorority can be. Her reflections makes you think twice before judging other girls or before laughing at that sexist joke. She makes you question why the Disney princesses have no girlfriends or why is it funny to guys dress like girls on Halloween. Her micro-revolutions are things to be applied on our routines, and kept for the rest of our lives. Have you started yours already?