(coats from Miss Patina)
Happy International Women's Day, friends! Women are so cool. Being a woman is so cool. I mean, I didn't always feel this way, but the journey has been worth it. Sometimes it just takes a little time to grow into who you want to be.
When I was younger, I was of the belief that women were catty and dramatic and mean. I guess some of us may know a person or two like that, but that's not the definition of being a female. I've had so many ladies in my life that have come around and loved me and changed my entire perception on feminism and relationships and the like. I'm thankful for that, because who knows where I'd be if it weren't for them. Let's back up a bit.
We all had terrible friends in high school at one point or another, I'm guessing. I basically decided in high school that I just preferred to hang out with guys and never really pursued relationships with females after that... until I met a gal who changed my mind. See, a pattern I've noticed in my life is that when you meet a super-awesome lady-friend, 1 or 10 more super-awesome lady-friends seem to follow. That growth happened over years for me, but I'm thankful now to be of the strong opinion that women are amazing and I try to surround myself with them whenever possible.
Okay, so above I mentioned the "f word" (feminism). If you would have asked me 6 or 7 years ago if I was a feminist, I probably would have told you no. *GASP* Feminism, in my former small town, was painted as angry women who didn't wear bras and hated men. Ugh. Such a weird, small-minded stereotype. Still, I didn't understand it and wasn't really interested in educating myself on the subject. My conservative Christian background didn't really help with making feminism interesting either, if I'm being honest. At the church where Johnny worked, women weren't allowed to be in leadership. As a young woman, I believed that woman weren't strong enough to be in authoritative roles besides school teachers. As I got a little older, I found myself questioning WHY about a lot of what I was brought up to believe. I started to become friends with women who were a bit more liberal. I started asking more questions. I guess if I'm being honest with myself, I started caring more. My feminism was birthed there.
I have two daughters now and I want them to be sensitive, caring, strong, smart, and inclusive. I want them to grow up seeing their mother as an empath who FIGHTS for others. When they are grown, hopefully they will follow in those footsteps. I want them to be proud to be a lady, not ashamed or feel lesser-than. Women's voices are important and all women deserve to believe that. I hope you do. xo.
