My Political Rant Book

Is Feminism Still Needed? Yes.

This would perhaps be the perfect chapter to affirm that I'm not American. In fact I've never even been to America. I hail from another part of the world, somewhere different, so my opinions stem from politically polarised debates that I've watched on Youtuber, listening to conversations and reading opinions on online forums rather than firsthand experience. Which is why I would like to disclaim something I should have long ago: I'm NOT an expert, and my opinions will probably vastly evolve and change, and perhaps I'll find contradictions in this book myself if I choose to continue it, that is.

To see my opinions on feminist idealogy in its third-wave form in the Western world, move to my last chapter about feminism.

This one is about primarily women's issues, that I think are still relevant. I also want to cover men's issues later. 

Just because I'm not a fan of the way it's often done doesn't mean I'm undermining the need for feminism. Have you ever walked on the road and felt the gaze of a creepy predator on your butt because it's just a little too large than what'd you expect of someone your proportions? Have you ever felt a trickle down your spine as you went to the local marketplace in shorts, realised the gravity of your errors and readily worn slacks the next time? I have, more often than not.

Have you ever felt like you're being told off for being bossy, talkative or psychopathically emotionally hyper? Have you ever felt like to live up to the standards of a debate or serious event, you have to tone down the femininity and natural girly attitude to appear more headstrong? Have you ever fallen trap to "not like other girls" mentality? I have.

I'm tired of the stereotypes, so much so that I tried walking away from them, completely abandoning my personality. Yes, I'm not a dumb empty shell, but I do love dressing up. I do love a good pair of shoes. I do love a day out to shop. I also love computers and studying and writing. That is not mutually exclusive. 

And although I haven't felt the brunt of female expectations as harshly as a few, I've seen it around me. I've seen the realities of slut-shaming, and I've partaken in it, knowingly, assumedly. Then my friend got slut-shamed and I rethought all my hypocrisies, and my fake "woke-ness". The worst part is- the slut-shaming perpetrators are 50/50 girls and boys.

I did not want to hear the topic of how a potential squint in my eye would deter me from finding a future husband. I was thirteen, Grandma. THIRTEEN. The squint affects me, not him. And if any man in the future thinks it unthinkable that my eye squint is too ugly for him, fuck him. Fuck him to hell and beyond, because I'll date someone who I find worthy of me too, not just the other way around.

 I do not want every conversation about me having a boyfriend be about me protecting my honour. What even is honour? In my opinion, honour is respect. A mutual co-understanding between me and society that empowers me as a member of it. That's all it is. It's not a tangible reality strewn and shaped by careful hands, it's a feeling. My privacy is my honour. My grades are my honour. My friendships and the love they bring me are my honour. My mental health is my honour.

And finally, first love, why was I "the crazy girlfriend" when you went out for lunch with two girls and I got worried, but you were the protective Prince Charming who got jealous ("OH MY GOD SO CUTE HE CARES ABOUT YOU") when I interacted with a guy? Is my caring characterised as petty mistrust for a reason? 

I know boys have their own issues, and third-wave feminism often denies them as less. I don't. But these are my issues as a girl, they deserve to be heard, and this is why I think that we still need feminism.