Dear Daughter,
Feminism is Not a Dirty Word!
Things I want you know about women’s rights and feminism:
First, feminism is not a dirty word and it did not pass away with the “burn your bra” crowd. That was my crowd, and thank God for support bras! We need to keep the fight alive and active today more than ever!
Your generation needs to pay attention to the needs of others and to continue to pay attention to women’s rights in the workplace. Remember there are still women that do not even have the right to work, walk the streets without cover, marry whom they choose, women who are mutilated sexually and otherwise, sent into slavery… every day… of every month… of every year!
You can vote because of the women who fought so hard for the right! One was your great grandmother! We must not let her and the countless others down! Exercise that right every election day!
In the workplace or in life, remember that you do not need to wear makeup, highlight your hair, wear tight clothes, short skirts, giggle, whiten your teeth, bronze your skin, wear stillettos, paste on fake nails, or wear red lipstick to get anyone’s attention. If anyone tells you that you need these things to succeed, be popular, pass a test, get a professor to like you, get a job, climb the corporate ladder, date… haul ass out of there!
Never let a male colleague refer to you as honey, babe, blondie, beautiful, sweetie, sweetheart. Look him in the eye and with a straight face and firm voice say, “my name is _______.”
Never dumb yourself down for anyone. If they are intimidated, they will have to deal with it. You worked hard to get your degree.
A final note, I do not hate men! I married your father, a thoughtful, giving, loving man! A man that respects my rights and sees me as his equal. Who cares about my brains as much as my body and face. I know that he loves the inner me more than the outside me, thank God… because the outside has a shelf life!
And here is why I wrote this to you… this very smart young women wrote this article on feminism. You need to read her article and then print it, make copies and give it to your friends and perhaps keep it and give it to your daughter!
