I am a Feminist

Things clicked in Year 1 when the teachers gave me a Barbie when I wanted to play soccer with all the boys.

Things clicked in Year 2 when High School Musical came out and girls started thinking the guy had to ask the girl out, because they thought that was love.

Things clicked in Year 5 when someone said ‘you shake (your hand) like a man ‘. I asked him why can’t a girl have a strong handshake and still be considered a girl and he shrugged and said ‘I don’t know ‘.

Things clicked in Year 7 where the girls cared only about their looks because society told them too.

Things clicked in Year 9 when people didn’t want to be a feminist because society will give them crap. Will give them crap for believing in equal rights and justice.

These people were peculiar to me.

So peculiar, I didn’t know how to react to them. I didn’t know what to say. How to act.

And it scared me. A lot.

It made my mind spin in circles, thoughts whizzing past thoughts. Wondering why they were thinking that I had to act a certain way, think a certain way. Be a certain way.

Then it clicked.

They were raised in a society who believed in gender stereotypes. Where boys like blue and girls like pink.They were blinded by society, but somehow, somewhere I wasn’t. I saw the flaws. I saw the marks.

I saw we were unequal.

I saw we were unbalanced.

I saw it. I saw it all with my innocent eyes and growing brain. I saw it at a young age, still a little sapling, just a sprout. I saw it when I wasn’t even a teenager yet adults couldn’t see the unbalanced scales.

People around me couldn’t see it. And it scared me.

I thought about it night, after night, after dreaded night. And when I spoke up, I was pushed down, so I stopped. (pauses) I stopped standing up. Society stole and burnt my beliefs.

I had to hide who I was, because of shame.

But then it changed.

I met people just like me , and I didn’t care what people thought , I didn’t care that they judged me , I didn’t care about their opinions .

Because I am a liberated women.

I am a feminist.