20
Are you a feminist?
Yes
When did you realize that girls were not equal
to boys?
I remember being in the fifth grade, and I wore a lot
of my brother’s hand-me-down clothes. I was told that
wasn’t a cool thing to do, and I should buy my own
clothes while my male friend would wear his sister’s
jeans, and everyone thought it was so cool. At that time,
the way I was presenting myself started to become
unacceptable because I was reaching an age where I
had to look more like a girl.
How did you find out the feminist idea?
I have a lot of powerful women in my life, and my ideas
of feminism were constantly changed and pushed, but
I didn’t really explore the idea until my sophomore
year. I started to realize that I didn’t have to follow the
social norms that people taught me like shaving my
legs. When I was little, feminism to me was more about
equal pay and women’s rights than these basic things
that attached with my life. I wish I could have realized
women stereotypes earlier and had been able to say
‘No, that’s not right!’
What challenges do you encounter when you
present your feminist ideas?
One of my friends went to a more restricted school
and was influenced by the idea that women needed to
please men. I constantly had conversations with her
and wished I could tell her that “You are beautiful and
you don’t need a boyfriend!” It was difficult because she
was stubborn to change this idea. It’s especially hard to
make people admit that their ideas are wrong because
they can’t respect my feminist ideas. It’s also especially
frustrating when I hear a lot of women say the word
feminism is aggressive. My first impression is ‘Where
did that come from?” It must have been men to start
that conversation.
What’s the thing that can make people feel
more comfortable with feminism?
Women are just constantly having this conversation, but
they aren’t received well. I think we need to continue
being powerful, and having the conversation. Never
stop telling these experiences and hold on to people
who are listening.
“The word feminism is
not synonymous to
men-hating."
Carolyn
Brautigam
‘17