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Wrangling Your Inner Feminist

Lately the word Feminist is everywhere. I mean since it got all caught up in pop culture.
Ladies, its hard out there for a girl, this is the truth the world treats you like you are and enemy sometimes, both women and men.
There is so much idealism that surround this school of thought, this belief that a woman has a right to be equal to a man in all day to day dealings but this idea rubs the some people the wrong way.
The stereotypes that exist against feminism are very funny; some believe you need to be an unhappy woman, because I mean if you have a man in your life already telling you what to do you will stop complaining right?
Who said a feminist can't be a wife or mother or straight.
Basically feminism is the pursuit of the equality of the sexes in all spheres of life. Like one author said, it's basically the belief that women are people.  People attribute some odd things to feminist like masculinity and all that but just because a woman says she is a feminist does not mean the woman is a man. It just means the woman is capable of the same things if not more than the man is. 
The thing is that people don't like to associate themselves with feminism because it seems a small minority have defined what feminism should really be. Ideally feminism does not look at the superiority of women but at their equality like I said before, so the bad feelings this word engenders in the mind are just raised by the misdirection of a small group.
The idea that feminism is new is very wrong. Since feminism basically surrounds the fact that woman can think and produce the same results that men can, women can fight wars and women can work,  giving just as good as the results the men are giving. Women can also build homes, nurture families and relationships, take all forms of abuse and still stay and women love inexcusably too.
Right from biblical times and much earlier women have been taking
control of their destinies, choosing what to and what not to accept.

One example that comes to mind is the woman called Ruth who lost her husband. Then she saw this man she liked, well it was one of 2 things either she acts all coy and shy so that the man can one day or maybe never decide that he wanted to be with her. She takes matters into her own hands and goes and chases the man herself. Now this will be awkward if the guy doesn't like you, but he did so it all worked out great.
There was also the woman from Judges 4:4 Deborah the prophetess who was the judge, she was also the wife of Lappidoth. I believe God knows what women are worth and what we are capable of and he has no intention of subduing us, that's all a human thing.

There are many occasions especially in this Nigeria where we encounter men who probably in a normal situation should treat us with respect because we are human beings but we end up hearing all sorts of things from their mouths like ''I get your type for house'' or ''who are you a woman to talk to me like that''. We can't blame them because these men mostly are illiterates and lack the common sense to know that whether someone is a woman or man you are required to show some respect.  I am raising all these instances so you understand where I am coming from. I think the women who suffer the most from gender suppression are right here in Africa whether through culture or religion it is forced on us. Our
 culture is patriarchal and permits it but women live and thrive in this society, starting game changing businesses and mentoring other women to greatness.
There are also instances where women  are suppressed because it is believed that it is for our own good. Just like it doesn't make any sense to tell a full grown man what he can do and force it on him so it makes no sense to force a woman.
All being said there is a feminist in all of us. If you don't expect anything less from yourself because you are a woman then you are feminist. If you believe that your level of education should earn you just as much as a man on the same level as you then you are feminist if you believe in your right to vote, make decisions in your home and have people listen  to what you have to say no matter how you say it or if it makes sense then my dear woman  or man you are feminist.  If you believe your money is as good as the man's own you are feminist. I respect that some of us do not like to label our fierceness but it is what it is, just like denying something is stupid does not make it any less so.
another issue I will like to address is that we can live totally independent of the other sex, I believe this is a myth, we are going to be needing men for as long as they will be needing us. The capacity in which we will need a man or a man will need us is dependent on the circumstance. So does being a feminist mean you are independent of men, I don't think so. There is also the issue of blaming all our problems on men, a true feminist should understand that more often than not, the only obstacle to her fulfillment is her, she has her own power so stop waiting for a man to hand it to you go out and get it yourself. Another thing feminists could do to reverse the bad rep is stop trying to force what is their ideal feminism on others, some people need our help but some people need to come into their own independence by themselves.
My ideal feminist is; a woman who understands her worth, strong, smart, beautiful, feminine, free(in whatever way she wants to be), happy and fulfilled in whatever road in life she chooses.
This post is dedicated to all the hard working, smart and beautiful Women out there. Stay Fierce and Fabulous always!!!

For more interesting reading:
http://www.thenewlocalmag.com/clearing-the-air-on-feminism/




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