Feminism In A Nutshell.

Studying and reading up on feminism for this weeks American Studies Seminar is actually more enjoyable than I initially expected. Some people I just do not agree with, people like Ginia Bellafante, who wrote an article for the TIME newspaper called "Feminism; It's All About Me!"
It took me long enough to decide where she stood on this issue, and although, yes she has done her research well, I don't like her standpoint or the way she goes about portraying it.
Turning movies into garbage, she manages to somehow belittle the dinners and galas that are put on in order to raise awareness of women's rights and witter on about Simone De Beauvoir (love) and The Feminine Mystique for a page.

Personally, I'm on Kate Nash's side. Just because she put it so effortlessly simply;
"Feminism is not a dirty word. It does not mean that you hate men. It does not mean that you hate girls that have nice legs and a tan. It does not mean that you are a "bitch" or a "dyke". It means you believe in equality."
- If believing in equality certifies you as a feminist, then I can safely say that is what I am.
I don't think it's fair that in the USA the average female worker earns 76 cents in comparison to the dollar that a man gets for the same job. That doesn't mean I'm going to run into the street and burn my bra. That doesn't mean I'm going to do a Glenn Close, and somehow (!?) manage to get 2,500 people on their feet chanting "CUNT". But it does mean I believe in equality.

Bellafante has turned popular TV show Ally McBeal and Brigdet Jones into "frivolous neuroses" by using quotes from the movie such as;
"Cannot face the thought of going to work. Only thing that makes it tolerable is the thought of seeing Daniel again, but even this is inadvisable since am fat, have spot on chin and desire only to sit on cushoin eating chocolate and watching Xmas specials."
Bridget Jones is that kind of girl, but that doesn't class the rest of us as the same.
We all have our days where we don't want to get out of bed for fear of a terrible hair day, or we avoid going to our favourite coffee shop because last time we went we managed to spill our caramel maccihatto down our favourite jeans infront of the hot male Barista. But most days, we just get up and get on with our day, shit or no shit.

My housemate told me this week that I remind her of "Kat Stratford" from the movie version of 10 Things I Hate About You, starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles. This made me laugh, because Kat is infact a feminist outcast, decribed by her guidance councellor as a tempestuous, heinous bitch. Even with that description, I do see a little of myself in her and I will quite happily take that comparison as a compliment.
Never before this have I ever considered myself a feminist.

Another thing Kat Stratford and I have in common?
We like guitars, angry girl rock music and always fall for the wrong guy.
Till next time,
Alex.