Listen Up, Bitches!

Okay, my pretties, it is time for us to have another talk about that dreaded feminism thing.

I assume that anyone who reads this regularly is either a feminist, loves a feminist, or is a masochist that likes to read terrible rants about gender issues, so I’m not going to outline why we need to give voice to gender issues. (Though, if anyone needs a refresher, I will gladly give it.) I want to discuss the state of feminism.

We need to talk. *Pats seat beside her*

1. The patriarchy is bad. Inequality is bad. Some men are bad. Some men are very very good. Some men are insecure douche bags and need to have their ass kicked by a woman, but many men are well meaning. I think most of us understand this, but we are still trying to shake off the stigma of ball-snatching, man hating bitches. Maybe some of our focus should switch to educating, instead of just fighting.

2. We are doing half of “their” jobs for them. Women can be evil to each other, and we judge the hell out of each other. We need to stop. We want the same things; the right to be what we chose, be it a CEO or a stay at home mom. All facets of womanhood are beautiful, and we need to learn to embrace them. This goes double for mommies. You guys can be sharks at a time when you need each other most. Life can be a fight. No one is making it out alive. It is time to start helping each other.

3. We need to take the power of “their” slurs from them. Rock the Slut Vote is a brilliant movement fighting the war on women and demonstrates what I am talking about. Slut is hurled at us to degrade and marginalize us. I say we take it, along with words like bitch and whore, and use them like the middle finger. We give them the power. It is time to take it away.

4. Be kind. This relates back to number two. As a society, we look at kindness and nurturing as a weakness. We hold ideals of ‘survival of the fittest’ on a pedestal. So much of what is beautiful about humans, especially women, is soft and warm. We have to stop looking at it as a weakness. It feeds into the bullshit about everything female is weak and inferior. (Seriously, Kathleen turned me on to Eve Ensler on Ted.com. Go watch.) If we keep worshiping all that is sharp and selfish, our world will eat itself alive. We should be the ones who start the movement back to balance for everyone, not just woman.

5. Go vote! Tell our politicians to get out of our lady bits! While you are out there screaming, though, try and listen some, too. It makes for more progress.