Chalk Talks

Around the Claremont Colleges this week several statements popped up on the side walks.
The primary statements: response statements
Women belong in the house AND the Senate
Feminism=Equality =matriarchy
I’m not a doormat, I’m a feminist. Ironically written on the ground.
A vagina diagram. Drawing a vagina does not make me want to join your cause.
My favorite dialogue did not respond to any of the original comments directly: “I am a woman, and I am not a feminist”. Two people responded to that: “So you like sexism?” followed by “I am not a woman, and I am a feminist.”

To weigh in on this, I think the respondents should know a little more about feminism. They might not know it, but there’s a chance they are feminists. Before I knew the definition, I had no clue I was really a feminist. From dictionary.com: the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men. To me this means that feminism is the desire for every human to have the same freedoms and rights- the freedom to live the life they want without discrimination. This includes everything from equal pay across races, to acting as “female” or “male” as you want. Feminists want you to be able to hook up with any gender, to be religious, to change your own gender, and to wear makeup and heels- if that’s what you want.

So to the woman who claims she is not a feminist, and anyone else who thinks they aren’t, I ask you this:

“Do you think it’s fair that a guy will make more money doing the same job as you? Does it piss you off and scare you when you find out about your friends getting raped? Do you ever feel like shit about your body? Do you ever feel like something is wrong with you because you don’t fit into this bizarre ideal of what girls are supposed to be like? ” (Valenti. Full Frontal Feminism. p. 6)

If those, gender stereotypes, or gender inequalities anger you, annoy you, make you want to change the way society works- then you’re a feminist.

Think on it,
Chels

PS- Thanks for starting the chalk talk up feminists. You rock. And if you ever do it again, let me help.