“What makes you feel feminine?” I have heard this question before and often pondered over what this meant. I usually don’t walk around pondering my gender identity or my femininity. The things that have made me feel “feminine” seem mundane and unimportant like getting my birth control, putting my makeup on, or painting my nails. However, a better question to ask someone would be “What makes you feel proud to be a woman?” I feel proud to be a woman when I vote, attend protests, and fight for my freedom. But I feel most proud to be a woman when I look at the amazing women around me. I didn’t come into this world automatically being a feminist. While my parents raised me on values of equality, respect, and justice, there are many women who made me into the raging, liberal, left-wing feminist I am.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
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How can I mention feminism without bringing the famous AOC? With her badass suit and an iconic red lip, AOC has become my biggest feminist icon. A daughter of two immigrants, she made her way from living in the Bronx to becoming a woman in congress. She has campaigned with Bernie Sanders and fought for the Green New Deal, universal health care, defunding the police, and raising the taxes on the rich. What inspired me the most was her calling out senator Yoho after he called her a bitch. She is bold, meticulous, powerful, and a force to be reckoned with. She is what helped form my views on the world and taught me that women don’t always have to be nice and polite.
- Chanel Miller
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You have probably heard of the name Brock Turner, the infamous Stanford swimmer who raped a drunk woman behind the dumpster at a party. But you probably didn’t know the survivor’s name because she went by Emily Doe. Well, the survivor is Chanel Miller. This brave woman fought against her attacker in the court and finished the trial by reading a victim impact statement, a speech that went viral. She then went on to write “Know My Name.” As I was coming to terms with my assault, I discovered her book. A book that felt like she was wrapping me up in her arms and telling me everything a survivor should hear. When I think of the word “brave,” I think of Chanel. She taught survivors that life is possible after an assault and she is the face of advocacy. I would not be the advocate I am today if it wasn’t for her.
- Taylor Swift
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Before you start to make fun of me for being a Swiftie, there is much more to this artist than her music. Taylor Swift is known for a lot more than her breakup ballads. After staying silent about her political views throughout her whole music career, she broke her silence after the 2016 presidential election. She helped raise awareness about the importance of people and inspired 65,000 people to vote in the 2020 election. A Netflix documentary came out called Miss Americana which follows Swift around as she reflects on the topics of eating disorders, politics, her treatment in the music industry, and her sexual assault. Hate her music all she wants, she inspires young girls everywhere, just like she did for me.
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
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Women like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wouldn’t have been such an influence if it wasn’t for women like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In her early days, she attended Harvard Law school and was one out of nine women in her class of 500 students. While in school, she also took care of her husband with cancer and a child. She was an influential member of the supreme court who gave rights to women that we don’t think about. I wouldn’t be able to attend CU Boulder before her because state-funded schools didn’t have to admit women, until RBG. Because of her, women can now sign a mortgage without a man. RBG helped vote for the legalization of gay marriage and spoke for women all across America on topics like equal pay and protecting pregnant women in the workplace. Just like AOC, she defied all odds and challenges to give justice to millions of women. She reminded me that no matter what life you come from or what sexism you experience, there is always a chance to fight against the patriarchy.
- My mom
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Cheesy, I know, but I wouldn’t be a feminist (or alive) if it wasn’t for my mother. Everything I learned about being a hard worker, fighting for justice, and being kind, I learned from my mom (with help from my dad of course). Once upon a time, my mom was a single mom working three jobs to care for me and my sister. Even with the financial struggles she faced, she still strived to give us the best childhood we could have. She got us a cat, watched “Gilmore Girls” with us, or took us to the Stanley Hotel 20 times a year because she is obsessed with ghosts. Besides being a ghost enthusiast, she was a mama bear and hardcore feminist. She traveled all the way to Washington D.C to march in the National Women’s March after Trump’s victory in 2017. She taught me how to fight when needed and how to be kind. She opened her home for people who needed to stay there and loved everyone that crossed her path. Despite the struggles that life has given her, she turned it into a beautiful life for her daughters. There are no words to describe the impact she left on me and how proud I am to be her daughter.
My mom and her best friend at the National Women’s March in Washington D.C in 2017.
With the help of all these women (and many more), I became a well-rounded feminist who is hungry for advocacy and change. They inspired me to be courageous, to fight for the rights of my fellow women and others as well as how to fight my way through sexism. I feel proud to be a woman when I see AOC on TV, hear Taylor Swift on the radio, or pick up “Know My Name.” Feminism wouldn’t be the same without these people.