It's been a pretty difficult year, filled with both success and losses for women's rights. Typically this time of year is thought to be the chance for a brand new beginning, reinventing yourself and your ideals.
While we can all attempt the stereotypical New Year’s resolutions (like losing weight) and phrases like “New Year, New Me” and try to apply them to our own lives, at the same time, we forget that these resolutions really could have the ability to affect our reality and our future.
So this year, I want to come up with goals that will better affect the futures. These goals do not ask to change old habits, but to better them, helping to create a positive mentality. As we move into the new year, here are my goals to be a better feminist in 2018:
1. Human rights are women's rights.
Each and every individual is totally and completely equal.
"Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights. Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely – and the right to be heard.” -Hillary Clinton
2. Educate yourself.
Learn the true meaning of feminism to successfully advocate for it.
“There's many women now who think, 'Surely we don't need feminism anymore, we're all liberated and society's accepting us as we are'. Which is just hogwash. It's not true at all.” -Yoko Ono
3. Understand your privilege.
One cannot speak for those who lack the same privilege.
“We need to stop playing Privilege or Oppression Olympics because we’ll never get anywhere until we find more effective ways of talking through difference.” -Roxane Gay
4. Support females (whether or not you are one).
Allow everyone, regardless of their gender or sexuality, the same chance to thrive.
“This is not just about women; we men need to recognize the part we play too. Real men treat women with dignity and give them the respect they deserve.” -Prince Harry
5. Respect others.
Only through the success of everyone can our society move forward.
“No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.” -Michelle Obama
6. Don’t interrupt when a woman (or anyone, really) is speaking.
They may be speaking words of truth that the world needs to hear.
“She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.” -Mitch McConnell
7. Be intersectional.
Oppression is connected, and so feminism must take into consideration that all women are important.
“It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. We should stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are.” - Emma Watson
8. Don’t make another person's choices for them.
Each individual is entitled to their own opinion.
"When you work with the sort of really strong women that I work with, the idea that anyone would want to make decisions for them is hard to wrap your head around." -Seth Meyers
9. Call yourself a feminist.
Don’t shy away from the word “feminist,” because that allows for a negative connotation.
“I think every woman in our culture is a feminist. They may refuse to articulate it, but if you were to take any woman back 40 years and say, ‘Is this a world you want to live in?’, they would say ‘No.’” -Helen Mirren
10. Be kind.
Only through kindness can feminism succeed.
“There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women.” -Madeleine Albright
