Growing up my mother drilled the phrase “never rely on a man.” She told me almost every day that I had to go to college make enough money to support myself and a possible family and to never have to rely on a man for anything. She taught me how to be self-sufficient and a leader in an ever growing population of followers.
Emma Watson made a speech today saying that when she was younger she couldn’t understand why when boys took the lead it was expected but when she did so she got called bossy. As a child I was always called bossy and told to stop, but why should I sit in the back and let a boy take the lead when I am just as capable of doing so? The concept was asinine so me even as a child. I hated being called bossy but loved being the leader for games and activities, yet whenever I tried to do so the adults would look at me like I was being a bully. Sometimes they would lean over to whoever they were sitting with and look at me and whisper, and it would bother me immensely. Why couldn’t I be the leader without being looked down on? Why were adult women upset because I wanted to be the leader? I'm tired of girls having to play dumb, and keep quiet to get a guy to notice her. Why can I not I be smart and loud and still get the guy? When did playing stupid to get a guy to help you, ever become a thing; because I would truly love to slap them for it. I refuse to act dumb to get a boys attention, and I refuse to stay quiet so they can speak up.
As I got older this became all the more prevalent in my life. Every book, television show, and movie that was coming out had the female main character be solely dependent on the man. Everything about the girl's world revolved around the guy and the girl couldn’t function without him. "Twilight" was huge when I was little, and she literally curled into a ball and almost died in the woods when he left her (talk about dramatic.) Of course, Disney is also to blame for this, my favorite being Tinkerbell, the sassy little fairy who I loved with all my heart, but she too almost died when Peter chose Wendy and not her, (again with the dramatics.) Even now, TVshows like "The Vampire Diaries" have the females being dependent on a guy at first; later in the series the main character gets less whiny and Caroline (my favorite) gets much less dependent on guys, but at first they’re wildly dependent upon the males in the shows. Why cant we have more bad ass female leads whos main goal isn't to get the guy and fall in love, but to kick ass and have fun? But no the female remains dependent upon the male in most instances and I'm sick of it!
When I got to college and the idea of Trump becoming president became more realistic I realized that my rights as a female were about to go down drastically I wanted to fight against that. I started hearing about the marches and getting hearing other females who were feminists talk about how they felt on different subjects, and started realizing how much I related and agreed with what they were saying. Why should I be payed less for doing the same job? Why should I have less of a chance of getting a raise or promotion because you think I wont be able to do my job properly if I have child? Why should I not be taken seriously because I bleed out of my vagina for a week once a month? Why should I not have the same rights? All these questions were cultivating in my head and with that I had figured out where I stood. I stood with the women. I stood with the fact that I should be able to have the same chances at things as a man does. I stood with the fact that I can do anything I put my mind to, and that it doesn't matter if I am a female because I'm just as strong, smart and in power. I will take the lead, I will teach my daughter that she can and will do anything she sets her mind to, I will be “bossy.” Because ill be damned if I let someone tell me I cant do something because I am a female. Yes I am a girl and you bet I am a force to be reckoned with!
