Feminist Praxis and how to Practice

Looking carefully at my life, I see a lot more gendered qualities than I would have previously thought there were in my life. Not that the ones that I have are bad, just knowing that they are there is enough to make me question why. I see my family as pretty a-typical when it comes to being strict about certain ‘rules’ about gender and such, which is why I was so surprised to find my life is gendered. I own a lot of “girly” clothes, and I guess and equal amount of “masculine” clothes as well. Though I generally stick to t-shirts and jeans, I have some clothes that are more flattering to women, as well as some that are made for men. And although I have these clothes, I still act like well… me to people I know. I say this because I don’t think I have inherently female or male qualities about me when I interact with people in my life, I just try to see people as people no matter what. Maybe this is just my bias, but I see traits of both sides in action when I talk to other people. I act more “female” when I talk to people I don’t know, maybe partly because that is what I know they see, or because I am uncomfortable with new people. For example: when meeting someone new, I tend to be shy, reserved, quiet, and demure. As a contrast when I meet up with my family or friends I am a loud, rowdy, and kind of brash person, which not many people see. When I am with people who I know well enough I feel comfortable letting my “unsightly” personality traits have free reign unlike when I am meeting strangers who I am giving a first impression to. This ties in a lot to do with the social construction of gender, and how people influence their children in certain ways to “act like a girl” or “be quiet like girls should be”. These are things that I wasn’t used to hearing as a child, and only when I got to school did I hear more “gendered talk”. This being raised as who I wanted, and that I could accomplish anything I put my mind too was the mentality that I still enjoy today, and is a big part of my personality.  I feel that I should be more aware of the intersectionality that I and other people face, and understand the privilege and oppression and what it means to them as a person. I try to be aware that other people have challenges that I don’t face, and try to understand them as best I can which can be a challenge for me sometimes because I feel sad that other people are being pushed down when they deserve so much more.  I don’t want to sound depressing, though I think that last part is getting there. Now the question we have to ask ourselves what we can do to change these problems by “everyday activism”. I would say, start with your family, and explain why you believe in theories like intersectionality and help them understand what it is and why it is important. Regardless if your family is with or against you, the best policy is to not force the issue. Tie a feminist theory into some of your classwork for a different class. Start a public blog about feminism. Or even make a t-shirt with a slogan about feminism and wear it. The possibilities are endless when it comes to spreading the news about feminist theories and why they are important to understand. Be conscious of what’s out there, and try your best to help other people understand.