How To Raise A Feminist. (An ongoing post).

Strip yourself of gender bias. That’s your first step. You are she, you are he, you are they, whatever you are, if you are in agreement with this  definition, the one that the dictionary dictates as thus: the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes, you are indeed a feminist. (There is an argument for “womanist” which I will address in a future post). For me, the definition is even more nuanced, as in, that women and men are of equal value. When you are raising a person, it is important for you to know how you interpret your own relationship with the F-word with an egalitarian world view. It informs everything. I don’t mean teaching your child to say, “Please.” That’s another bucket, of manners. I mean, whether you have a daughter or a son, that you know how to be a feminist, that you believe the genders are of equal value, so that you can raise a person who is inside that understanding as well. That you embrace the definition and embody it, in your own way, whether you work inside the home or outside the home, that you are striving for a title or are happy to cash in a pay check, that you are co-parenting or doing it on your own. There are so many ways to embody the ethos. What’s yours? I know mine. I live it every day, I believe in it with every fiber of my being. It’s not a question for me. I support women. I value personhood. I believe that every gender is capable of everything that one sets their mind to. So. In Raising a Feminist, here is where we begin, with your take on it. You got me? Because I know I got you.

Kamala Harris, ever the badass.

Dolly Parton: “I’m a feminine girl, I’m a working girl. I think we all should be treated with respect and if we do a good job, we should get paid for it.”

Nina Garcia: “So here I am. Still scared. Still not looking forward to what I’m sure will be a pain-in-the-ass (or boob) surgery. But I am so deeply grateful.”

Natasha Lyonne: “It is not lost on me that I’m a very dark horse in terms of surviving it all, in terms of making it out with a measure of sanity and desire to continue participating in life.”

Jennifer Aniston: “Sure, there were bumps, and not every moment felt fantastic, obviously, but at the end of it, this is our one life and I would not stay in a situation out of fear. Fear of being alone. Fear of not being able to survive. To stay in a marriage based on fear feels like you’re doing your one life a disservice. When the work has been put in and it doesn’t seem that there’s an option of it working, that’s okay. That’s not a failure.”

It’s Black History Month and here are some books you ought to be reading.

Love can happen at any age.

Yep, also, being a parent can be a bit dull.

I am in love with these shoes from Nike.

From Nike.

And now have a laugh with Dina Hashem.