Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Dedicated to the Women that don’t need Feminism
I was fresh out of one of my first classes at university when I fell into a deep conversation with one of my lecturers. Assuming she could be of help to me, I gave her bullet points about myself for context. It was my top priority to mention that I was a Feminist, to which she replied:
I don’t care for Feminism.
As one could imagine I was winded, a woman so fiercely independent did not identify as a Feminist.
She wasn’t uneasy about any of the misconceptions about modern Feminists, she simply did not care for Feminism as a whole.
It took me back to many debates I subjected myself to on the internet, debates with women about the validity of Feminism.
What always baffled me was that the women I often argued with were pursuing some form of tertiary education.
A female professor with a graduate degree was in my classroom, teaching both male and female students while simultaneously rejecting Feminism — a truly puzzling sight.
After our conversation, I knew she was going to read a few of our projects and grade them. I knew that after she completed that, she was going to get into her car and drive over to her daughter’s school to pick her up and take her home.
It became apparent how quickly we dismiss the past.
I’ve noticed that because time has allowed us the luxury of forgetting the wounds of our predecessors, we seldom place ourselves within their world.
We detach ourselves from their reality; a reality that could’ve easily been our own.
If you are a woman, you are reading this freely because of the Feminism so many label as unnecessary. We are connecting through words, words that many women risked their lives for you to comprehend.
When your life is as comfortable as one can imagine, it is easy to assume that the world has outgrown its need for the Feminist movement.
It is crucial to remember that your immediate surroundings are not equivalent to environments elsewhere.
The war is still raging.
Feminism is more than wearing what you want, more than shattering beauty standards.
You may not need Feminism but our girls do.
Our girls that are deprived of education do.
Our girls that are being bought and sold do.
Our girls that are forced to endure unwanted pregnancies do.
Our girls that are shipped off as cargo to adult men under the guise of marriage do.
Our girls need us, they need the Feminism so deeply despised.
To the women that don’t need Feminism:
Firstly, I am overwhelmed with joy that you are free to live as you desire, enjoy it.
As a daughter of the 3rd world, I employ you to use your voice, your freedom and your heart to remove the boundaries of activism.
It is our job to make this a global fight.
We have not won because we have personal comfort, that is not the extent of our duty.
We are not victors until every girl is born with the freedom of choice.
