Happy Throwback Thursday! In this edition, I am giving snaps to feminists. No, not the “radical” faction currently poisoning our label, but the real, O.G. feminists. The suffragettes.
The 19th Amendment was ratified on this day in 1920. If you aren’t familiar with what that means, it basically said “stop looking at my uterus, my eyes are up here.” Women were finally allowed to vote in the United States of America. Thus began the near-century long political love affair with marginalizing 50% of voters.
Somehow, I’m guessing Susan B. Anthony and her gal pals of the day would not approve of the current female presidential nominee. You know the one that excuses her philandering husband’s crimes, commits her own unique criminal offenses, breeds entitlement, and does so all in the name of feminism. My guess is that this would have caused them to protest immediately after seeking out the closest speakeasy.
Who decided that the one side gets to own feminism? Are you mad I’m not voting for you because you bought me dinner and now I’m not putting out? Sorry liberals, but I saw what you’ve got to offer and I’d much rather go home to Netflix and chill alone with my popcorn and wine. Don’t call, don’t text, don’t make it weird.
When people ask me if I consider myself a feminist, my answer has always been “hell yes,” and I really do. That is not because I identify as Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or fabulous for that matter, it is simply because I hold sacred the founding values of this country.
Equality, opportunity, and freedom.
Equal opportunity does NOT mean equal success. Period. No one, man or woman, should be entitled to something they have not earned. We all have the ability to screw our lives up on our own. We don’t need the government to do it for us. Thanks though.
We should all have equal opportunity and the ability to choose “all of the things”—free markets, private healthcare, self-defense, and even bad hair styles… wait, no. Just me circa 2000’s? Alrighty then. (That was sarcasm, FYI).
And of course, freedom. Feminism, as Carly Fiorina (#girlcrush) says, means living the life you choose and using all of your God-given gifts. That is the crux of being free. That is exactly what the suffragettes sought. Not special treatment, not safe spaces or labeling of microaggressions when they were intimidated by opposing arguments, just the equality freedom offers us all. That’s the movement I can still identify with 96 years after their plight was nationally recognized.
So no, I may not be the “radical liberal feminist” that media outlets love to showcase in the news, but I will never stop advocating for equality. I want to see a female hold the office of President of these United States someday. But I DO want each Commander in Chief to be a qualified and honest leader who has earned that title by using all of their God-given gifts in a way that best serves his or her fellow citizens, not themselves. Yes, I am such a feminist, that I don’t vote for someone based on their gender.
So what can we all do in the here and now (besides be grateful prohibition ended long before our time)? Educate our friends and families and welcome dialogue that shows we can use our “lady brains” and not label it as anything but thinking. This goes for in person and on social media, because it is not just men that need educated, but fellow women as well.
In the FFL comments on Instagram last week, I came across a misguided, yet fairly knowledgeable young lady that was offended by my “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” photo (it really is my favorite phrase, just ask Amanda Owens). She commented that it was disrespectful of the democratic republic and not representative of what a “Future First Lady” should say.
Well my dear, that’s a good thing. Because we aren’t all here to be some First Lady, we are here to be future leaders. We don’t need anyone to give us permission.
To all of you Future Female Leaders out there who have asked what my advice would have been to myself at your age, it is this: Do not wait for a prince, head straight for the castle. You can save yourself.
