Feminism is Genetic

When I read through our first set of gender-related articles, “When Did Girls Start Wearing Pink,” “Is Pink Necessary,” “Can Superheroes Hurt Boys’ Mental Health,” etc., I happened to be trapped in a hospital for nearly eight hours. Having my mother confined to a room with me allowed me to discuss these articles with her and find out more about the culture in which I was raised, as it relates to gender.

Growing up, I always knew my mother was a feminist. Raised in the south, her political opinions evolved to be entirely the opposite of her conservative father, my grandfather. I’ve heard her stories about picketing at political events, campaigning for women’s rights and equality, and she eventually headed to Indiana University to pursue journalism. She kept her maiden name, something that I’ve had to explain probably hundreds of times in my life. When she and my father talked about marriage, she said, “You know I’m going to keep my maiden name, right?” to which he replied, “You know what? I think I will too.” She got married in a suit – a cream-colored pencil skirt and blazer – instead of the traditional white gown.

But I really had no idea how this feminism effected the way my brother and I grew up. When I expressed my desire to raise my children, if I ever have them, in as gender neutral of an environment as possible, she filled me in on some things I hadn’t known about. For example, she didn’t know the gender of either my brother or myself before we were born, and the nurseries had been painted a neutral palate. While she didn’t go as far as to put me in boys’ clothing, she ordered all of my clothes from a Swedish clothing company which had only primary-colored girls clothing, including practical leggings and knit tops. I wasn’t much of a skirt or tu-tu kid. Apparently one year for Christmas my brother received a superhero cape (which gets into a whole other issue), and I decided I wanted to be a superhero too, so my grandmother made me my very own cape.

Now, I’m not denying that, like most girls, I went through those phrases. The Barbie phase, the Bratz Doll phase… My mom even let me try out ballet (I quit), gymnastics (I quit), and cheerleading (I quit), when I asked. But the important thing was that neither of my parents ever made me feel like I had to do those things because I was a girl, or that I was any less of a girl because I would rather play on the soccer team or street hockey in the neighborhood.

My thoughts on how I grew up and how it has had an impact on my gender identity now, as an adult, came full circle when we read the “Girls Rule!” article on Nickelodeon and I was introduced to the concept of “Third Wave Feminism.” I realized that to be a feminist these days, I don’t necessarily have to be on the front lines or completely rebel against femininity. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve picketed in support of Planned Parenthood, and fully plan on keeping my maiden name, if I even get married at all, but I am looking forward to learning more about how I, as a Third Wave Feminist, can utilize my future role in the media to help shape perceived gender roles to positively effect the lives of the next generation, and potentially my own children.