I believe women have the right to choose..... but I am not a feminist...

This statement drives me absolutely batty. really. How can you believe that women have the right to choose for themselves, that women have the right to an education (beyond the mastery of the perfect muffin), the right to a career and the right to own property, and not be a feminist? How???

I teach first year college students, and some of what I talk about does get into the feminist arena. For example, the portrayal of the wandering womb and uterine furies in the 17th century (fabulous subject!). Automatically, my students assume that I am a big man-hater and that I am out to get all of the male students in my class, simply because they have a penis. Personally, I could not care one bit less about what they are toting around. What I care about is that they are listening to me babble on, and that they can repeat something relatively close to what I gave them on the exams.

However, here we are, in a day and age where we have achieved some of those very fundamental rights, and our young women are afraid to admit that they are feminists because, well, boys won't like them if they are feminists.

This makes me so very sad. The fact that we are still so concerned about what boys think- and that we will alter who we are to such a degree that we have to play cute but dumb just to keep the attention of a boy, well that tells me that we really have not come that far. Well, at least we can say that now we have the choice to play cute but dumb.
Huzza for that! I can CHOOSE to pretend I am stupid. A great day for women's liberation!

You know, I blame Cosmo. I do. It claims to be a magazine for the modern woman, the woman who has claimed her sexuality and is not afraid to be bold and assertive. However, I also find that so much of it is about keeping wrinkles at bay, and how to dress like a sexy little vamp at work so that you can attract the boys but not the ire of the ladies in the workplace. It is all about how we look, how to attract a man, and how to fool him into staying with us (which boils down to sex tips in every issue). Because really, girls- what could we possibly have to offer that would be worth anything aside from what can be wrapped up in black satin and lace?

The young women that come into my classroom- they are confident and self-assured in their 20ish knowledge and experience, and they know they want an education and a career, and all the opportunities that our modern age can offer. But do not make the mistake of thinking that they are feminists. oh no- our mothers and grandmothers fought that war for us, so that we can enjoy equality without the burden of being feminists. Just look at barbie, for proof. She is not only a pretty little thing in the latest fashions, but she is a professional too. She can be anything she wants (providing it involves shopping, fashion, or fuzzy fur-babies with big eyes).

Hooray for the modern world!