Feminism:
Not feminism itself - Just some of the things that go with it...
I should start from the beginning. Not the beginning of feminism, I wasn't there, ( though I've heard it was a riot!) but from the beginning of my experiences with feminism.
(If you carry on following this blog, you will soon realise I have a seriously bad memory - to the point where I can't remember if that conversation was yesterday, last month or a dream... Yep, it's pretty awful!) So remembering my first brush with the big, sometimes intimidating F is a bit of a feat. Either that or I've simply forgotten any previous encounters.
I'd obviously heard of Feminism before this, but studying Jane Eyre at school was the first real connection for me. Jane Eyre is my idol. If anyone from my English class reads this, they will probably be guffawing (it was a private school) and recalling my perfect ability to quote all the key quotes, as well as references. I was besotted. Not with the woman (she was fugly) - but with what she stood for. Maybe it stems from my being a romantic, and knowing that her being an independent woman is the only way for her to be with the scrumptious Rochester and also letting her feel the freedom she deserves after years of oppression- I figured every woman should feel as good as she did when she knew they were finally equal. Though preferably without blinding/disfiguring their prospective hubby... (I've realised this is turning into a bit of an essay, so shall skip some bits!)
Less than a year later I was doing some background reading for some English coursework, and being the cool kid I am, started reading Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch.
I was on an airplane flying back from Rhodes and being a night flight, most people were sleeping. I wasn't I was trying to get my jet-lagged, rather hungover head around Greer's ideas when someone walked towards me, but stopped at the bathroom.
Guess who it was. I bet you can't. Yep, it was Germaine Greer. And she looked at me. Unfortunately she looked at me like I was an idiot.
I was reading her book in the dark, on an airplane, reading a french quote to someone and saying 'what the hell does it mean anyway?!'
I looked like an idiot.
Recently the BBC has been showing a mini-series called 'Women' about the mighty F (feminism, not the other mighty F word). I quite enjoyed it, but I have been very bored, so a programme about the inside of a plastic cup would excite me. But these programmes have ruffled my feminist feathers (at last, I'm getting to the point!)
I'm just going to blurt it out.
I think the majority of feminists are calling for too much positive discrimination, and that really gets on my tits (I don't like that expression, but think it's rather appropriate). One person said 'anyone that puts on make-up is objectifying themselves'. I'm not going to get angry (I'm too tired, and in a surprisingly good mood today), but isn't it anti-feminist to say 'you shouldn't wear make-up because men will see you as an object' when wearing make-up and looking nice as a woman can be done for yourself? I wear make-up and nice clothes because I like it! I see them as pieces of art (well, sort of. I'm no Lady Gaga), and an expression about who I am.
And also some groups not allowing men into their meetings, public marches etc. Surely that's being hypocritical! If men want to support your cause, let them! You can't expect to be treated as equals if you treat the other party with hostility.
All this typing is making my head woozy, and so my views may not make sense.
The other thing that makes me a bit angry is the fact that this is my photography blog, and I have yet to post anything about shoots or results. I've only myself to blame for that though!
F xx
*Disclaimer - other things make me a little bit angry too! This is not a comprehensive list.*
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