Thursday, May 12, 2011

am I still a feminist?

A few days ago I went out for coffee with a new friend of mine.  We discussed a variety of things, including gender equality and feminism, which didn't last long because we'd been there a while and he had to run away.  He had offered to give me a lift home, so having settled the bill and had that leaving somewhere conversation you have; "Are you good to go?"  "Yeah cool, that's fine,' we wondered out to his car.  He walked over to the passenger side door, opened the door, waited until I got into the car and closed the door behind me.  Having just had our brief conversation about feminism I made a comment that had he done that 6-8 years ago I would have counted that as a sexist action but actually I thought it was sweet.  So off we went in the car, he dropped me at home and drove off, all good. 
I've been thinking about this interaction today and what it says about me as a feminist. 
What I said at the time was true.  Back when I was 19-23 in my undergrad degree and getting involved in student politics I would have considered that a sexist action and it would have counted as a black mark against him.  Given that we'd had a great chat and generally agreed on a lot of things, the black mark wouldn't have been the sort that mean you write someone off as a friend, but it would have been there none the less.  But now, it wasn't a black mark, it didn't even cause an eyebrow raise and I did think it was sweet.  In fact the only reason I made mention of it is because of the conversation we'd had prior to the door opening incident. 
So what does this mean, am I still a feminist?  Have I lost my politics in my old age? 
I don't think so!
I've mellowed, I'll say that.  I no longer think that because a boy opens a door for me it means that he thinks I'm incompetent or incapable.  I think it was just a nice gesture.
Am I still opposed to violence against women in all forms?  Hell yes!  Do I still think that women should receive equal pay for equal work?  Absolutely!  Am I against hiring practices that discriminate against women on the grounds that they will have babies soon and will leave that job?  Of course!  Do I still believe that gender roles are a fabrication of our society and not a biological imperative?  You bet!  Does the beauty myth still infuriate me?  Completely!  Do I think that women are under represented in work that was traditionally considered "mens work", or for that matter men are under represented in what was traditionally named "women's work?"  For sure!
So where does that leave me on door opening?  Let's worry about putting an end to rape, sexual assault and domestic violence first hey?!  Maybe when there really is equality in our society, maybe then I'll worry about whether someone opening my door for me means they think I can't.

1 comment:

  1. Great post. I think it sums up a rational and realistic form of feminism. I think also with situations like that, there is no black & white when it comes to being nice. Men can be feminists, and male feminists can do nice things. I tend to hold doors open for the person behind me regardless of their gender, age, race, or ability. Does it make me polite when I open it for a guy and sexist when I open it for a woman? It's all about intent and -as you say - the big picture :)

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