Sunday 22 May 2011

What's In A Word?

The first time I remember thinking of myself as a 'feminist,' and not just a fiercely competitive tomboy with a "terrible attitude," to cite an expert on young women who insisted on doing things only boys were supposed to be doing (Sr. Eleanor, 3rd September, 1979), I was 11. I was playing on a guys' soccer team (there wasn't one for girls), and the goalie for the opposing team insisted on referring to me as 'Lady,' despite the fact that our coach had told him my name 27 times. The goalie sneeringly asked if I thought I was a feminist. I thought about overhearing men I knew referring to women as 'feminists' and 'bra-burners'. I decided to say 'yes' shortly before kicking the ball hard enough to take his head off. He missed (or lost his nerve); I scored. I felt awful. Everyone was shouting and celebrating around me. I had lost my temper; I didn't see anything worth getting excited about, and it felt almost as if I hadn't scored at all. Something about it didn't seem fair; I think now that what I felt was a very strong sense that I had let myself down, and let all of us bra-burners down. I still wonder if I did.




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4 comments:

  1. Melaina2522 May 2011 at 11:37

    Did you know bra-burning was actually part of the backlash AGAINST feminism? It was models paid by the media, not feminist activists who did it.

    You can read more in Susan Faludi's "Backlash."

    Thanks for taking part!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Write Now, aka MAry McDonough-Clark22 May 2011 at 12:33

    I did know that -- one of the major joys of reading Faludi's book for me. I heard that said in such scathing tones by so many people as a child. I am @maryfclark, by the way...

    ReplyDelete
  3. vegemitevix26 May 2011 at 13:32

    It's when they call you 'little lady' that really used to piss me off! Of course being short wasn't easy. For years I used to try and lead whilst fighting the guys in my own company. It was a hard climb up that corporate ladder. Eventually I decided to opt out and start working (and mothering) on my own terms. For my generation of feminists it seemed the best option.

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  4. Write Now, aka MAry McDonough-Clark27 May 2011 at 09:14

    I think it is the only option, though a difficult one to choose. Everything seems organised around other ways of being.

    ReplyDelete

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