Gloria Steinem. Rosa Parks. Audre Lorde. Three tremendous women have inspired one of my best friends to become the feminist she is today.
She is Carly Puch, the tremendous woman who has inspired me to become and start the journey into becoming, at least, half the feminist she is today.
When my friend started college and started taking women’s studies classes (she’s a graduate student now), I practically started taking women’s studies classes along with her. Not literally, but I was so excited whenever she came home and looked forward to what she was going to teach me next.
Because of Carly Puch, one of my feminist inspirations, I’ve started to think more critically about what others are saying; I've begun to realize how influential and impacting people’s stories and comments are. For example, Kendrick Lamar’s brilliant performance at the Grammy Awards. (By the way, can we just take a second to reminisce about how powerful that was?) But without Carly showing me the in-depth world of storytelling, I wouldn’t be using the words brilliant or powerful to describe Kendrick’s performance. Because I only would have been paying attention to the beat of the music, singing along to the song, and the pretty lights. But now that I’ve been paying attention more to the stories behind things, I got to see just how brilliant and powerful his performance was.
Carly also gives credit to her parents for creating a feminist in her. They created an environment for her to become an independent woman.
And I give credit to Carly, who has started to create a feminist in me.
I’ve learned so many things from starting to identify as a feminist. I’ve been to different life-changing feminist events (go to a Lunafest if you can – beautiful short films about women), and I’ve even started taking women's studies classes.
Carly asked me a question when she was asking people why they need feminism, and for me, it’s because more women need a voice. To be heard. We need to be heard. You can see other people’s responses to why they need feminism in Carly's article.
Sophia Bush, Matt McGorry, and Rowan Blanchard for me are three individual feminism teachers that I look up to. The messages they give out and the fights they fight to try to secure equal rights for women is outstanding. I always find myself screenshotting so many of their wonderful works and sending them to Carly. It's such a beautiful connection to be able to discuss these kinds of things with someone I know won’t judge my newly found feminist ways.
One story that Carly and I have recently started discussing is Selena Gomez’s song “Good For You.” I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s a catchy song with a good beat, but have you ever listened to the actual message it is giving out? Sure, all women want to look good, but why is it always on us to have to look good for the one we like? Why can’t we look good for ourselves? We shouldn’t have to care whether the one we like likes it or not. We should be able to feel good in our own skin, under our own terms, even if we're just wearing sweats. Right?
Being friends with a feminist is truly an eye-opening and life-changing experience. So thank you, Carly, for setting me straight, and for opening my eyes to a different world. You said it took you a while to dig through the feminist stigma, and I can’t wait for you to help me do so and to learn more about the world of feminism from you.
As Carly has told me about feminism, "we can't wait and we can't be quiet."
