Feminist Bitch

Today, someone called me a feminist bitch.

My normal, non confrontational, "everybody has to like me because  I am so versatile and likeable" self, winced at the comment.

And then I took a deep breath and asked myself "What Would Hillary Do?"

The greatest women in the world--those who fought, fasted, picketed, wrote, spoke, yelled, studied, ran for office--have probably never created a wave without being called a bitch. Pat Summit didn't become the winningest coach by being called a "sweetheart".

It is an honor.  I smiled coyly to myself as I realized that I definitely wasn't offended, but most definitely was flattered.  Of course I am a feminist bitch!    

Women of our generation are far too silent.  Young girls cringe and make a sour face at the word "feminist".  They argue that women are already equal, feminists are ugly complainers who are mad at the world, and defend Chris Brown--when all the while women still make 77 cents to every dollar and their body form is objectified and sexualized with every turn of the page and flick of the channel.

I ask them: do you want your own pay check and bank account? Yes.
I ask them: do you want to vote for your political leaders? Yes.
I ask them: do you want to go to college and think for yourself? Yes.
I ask them: do you want to be valued and measured by your husband? No.
I ask them: do you want to be paid fairly for the work you do? Yes.

And yet they refuse to call themselves feminists. 

I am a feminist bitch. I say the word cunt and evoke both shock and empowerment. And just as I am typing the word cunt, it is underlined in a bright red line, as if my computer doesn't even recognize the word.   
I say what I believe, I write what I bleed, and I don't think I will ever be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.  I play sports with the boys and have strong and powerful muscles; muscles I am proud to have and muscles I will flex with passion.  I know my worth and I belong to myself so completely that it even took me by surprise.  I can walk into a pharmacy and ask for a plan B pill, I can take a birth control pill and I am not a slut.  Please believe the short skirt has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with the fact that I've got killer legs.  

The "bitch" part of feminist bitch is like the pebble that starts the ripple effect.  It is the first domino falling--knocking down everything else that has been carefully put into place.

I am a huge feminist bitch.  I have been since 2003 and believe that since that time, perhaps even before, I have been slowly and strategically placing my philosophy, my pedagogy, my voice, down in rows--one domino at a time. I have struggled with identity, watched as failed relationships crumble because he couldn't keep up, cried into the universe with loneliness, and have endured countless berates against my body as if that is the only thing I am to be measured by.  So I tell you, I am by no means a woman who exudes inner and outer strength. I am a woman who recognizes that we need more as American women--and I will be a feminist bitch until we get the treatment we deserve.

Someone once told me that the reason so many listened to and esteemed Gloria Steinem was because she was beautiful--and thus the world was captivated.  

And so I can no longer float in the tide of my fellow feminists. I need to speak out.

We need feminism to ensure that men are no longer let off the hook because "boys will be boys".  We need feminism to insure that our daughters of tomorrow will have equal pay, equal treatment, and a fair shot at their dreams.  We need feminism to remind young women, like myself, that our self worth is not measured by our relationships with men and it is okay to fight for what we believe in.  We need feminism to teach young girls to be brilliant and infinite in their words and hearts.  We need feminism to stop the girl on girl hate crime.  We need feminism to elect women leaders, because female leadership is the most honest and powerful kind.  We need feminism so that women can choose to "have it all" or to "have it", and either choice is accepted and praised.  We need feminism so that women and men will be offered jobs with the same starting salary followed by the same pay increases for the same work.  We need feminism so that women can fight for our country without worrying about being taken advantage of and with the guarantee that their colleagues will trust them.  We need feminism so that mothers can provide for their families and their souls.  We need feminism so that fathers can provide for their families and their souls. We need feminism so that literacy will no longer be a commodity afforded only the 'lucky ones'.  We need feminism so that racial divides become bridges of culture.  We need feminism so that our world can become a safer, more productive, and stronger place for humanity to flourish and prosper.  

And if all of those reasons don't convince you we need feminism--please remember the boss lady, "Women's Rights are Human Rights".  And perhaps we can all agree that human rights are worth fighting for.