Recovery

I Need Feminism

I need feminism because in 3rd grade when a boy kept pulling on my hair in line despite my telling him to stop, my teacher told me to "go to the back of the line and next time put your hair up."

I need feminism because I was yelled at in front of the class and sent home from school because I read ahead of the textbook in class, while the next day a male classmate did the same thing and was praised for being "advance".

I need feminism because in 9th grade, a boy told my friend and I that he didn't have to listen to us because "we were two girls and he was a guy"

I need feminism because even when we told the teacher, the boy was not reprimanded.

I need feminism because in 11th grade, I was sexually assaulted in front of all of my classmates and teachers. When I finally talked about it, I was told that it was my fault for not screaming.

I need feminism because when I was 18 and an old man was taking pictures of my friend and I without our consent, the first thing we were asked was "What were you wearing?"

I need feminism because in my freshman year of college in my class on feminism, the few males still drowned out female voices.

I need feminism because when I was repeatedly being sexually harassed by an anonymous caller over the course of a few weeks, the police told me it was my fault for giving out my phone number to acquaintances and that I should just get a new number.

I need feminism because sexism isn't always something as concrete as the wage gap or reproductive rights, it's something sinister we're socialized into from the day we enter the world until the day we die.

We need feminism.