I interviewed my grandmother about feminism. My grandmother grew up on a farm and was raised to help her parents with the animals and the crops. She's 85 years old and said "back then, things were a lot different." She explains how women were expected to accommodate the family by cooking, making sure the children went off to school, and cleaning the house. "I was the only child, and I was working on the farm like any young boy would." "I never thought of going to college, it just seemed out of the question for me." When I brought up the word feminism, I asked if she saw herself as one. She "didn't seem to think so." I'm sure she views feminists as men-hating, short haired lesbians. I explained to her how feminism is a multifaceted concept, dealing with equality of women, eliminating oppression from the past and present, etc. She seemed to embrace feminism a little more after our interview. "Well, I probably could have been a feminist back then."
The McIntire reading definitely open my eyes to a lot of issues apparent today. It appears we live in a white man's world oppressing those of another color or just women for that matter. I liked how she gave examples of regular mundane activities we experience in life (going shopping, reading the newspaper, talking about politics)...but some people don't see their race on the cover of the newspaper, or feel inadequate talking about politics because of their race/gender, or feel unsafe walking to their car when they leave the mall.
I am a fan of the F Word so far. This book opens the door to a plethera of circumstances and situations women face in the world. Reading about voting, health care, education, and sexual identity spark my interest of feminism and what I can do as a woman in our society.
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