Today
I am coming out of the closet. I am a Feminist. I have known for a long time, I
had feminist tendencies, but as I am starting my new life, I feel like it’s
time to make it official.
I was raised by a
Canadian Mother and a Ghanaian Father, I am the eldest of six kids. My parents
instilled in me confidence, and I learned that my gender and my color did not
define me. My parents would probably
never define themselves as feminist, but they really are. I was raised to believe that everyone was
equal, and that was just how the world worked.
When
I turned fifteen I moved to Walla Walla, Washington. This is where I first realized that not all people
were treated the same –and the world was not like the family I was in which I was
raised. It was expected of me to go to
BYU-Idaho, find my soul mate in September, get married in December and be
pregnant by April. While this was the ideal for many people that I knew in that
small town, this did not fit with what I wanted for my life.
I
went to BYU and it solidified what I already knew, that I am different. Each day
I realized with more clarity how different I was then the majority of female
students there the problem was, the longer I was there the more I wanted to be
like them—those girls with the long blond ponytails, and perfect complexions.
It’s hard to describe why I even cared, I’m not sure I've processed it all yet. All I knew is that I would never have a long blond
ponytail (and by long blonde ponytail I mean the perfect outfit, the perfect boyfriend,
the perfect figure and the “perfect” color) there was a yearning within me for
something greater.
You know it’s amazing what television can do. Specifically what Doctor Who can do. Mock me
all you want too the Doctor is amazing. He takes these women, and shows them
the world, and each woman reacts differently. Some fall in love with him, some
leave him, and some depart his company due to circumstances beyond their. Each of these women do great things. One creates an
organizations that protect the world, one got married, and one course of
history by turning left. They were different
sizes, different colors, and beautifully unique. As I experienced Doctor Who, I saw what women
could be. I saw the potential I had within me, and I saw that a man, even the
greatest man, cannot define who I am. And that is when I started to seek out
people who think like me.
Long story short, I am a feminist. I am feminist
because gender does not define ability. I
am a feminist because I want my children to grow up in the world where culture
does not define what they want to be. I
am a feminist because I believe woman can chose to become anything.
“I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath; scared
to rock the boat and make a mess so I sat quietly, agreed politely. I guess I forgot I had a choice, I let you push
me past my breaking point, I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything. You held me down, but I got up, already
brushing off the dust, you held me down, but I got up, get ready cause I’ve had
enough. I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire, cause
I am a champion and you’re going to hear me ROAR”
