First Day

After our first class of Introduction to Women’s Studies I really have thought a lot about why I am taking this class and what I hope to gain from it. My answer to the question when we went around the room was that I am majoring in business and am all about women in business so I hope to minor in women’s studies. But really, it’s so much more then that. I want to take classes like this one so I can learn more about something that really matters to me. I am tired of the instant reaction of those who know me and those who don't that automatically assume I am a lesbian when I say that I consider myself to be a feminist. I'm tired of my boyfriend thinking he's funny when he calls me fem-ily. I'm annoyed that when I began reading the book Feminism is for Everybody, my best friend says to her boyfriend who is on the phone "Oh Emily is just reading one of her Feminism books AGAIN." I'm tired of people thinking that I hate men or that I think women don't need men. I want to be able to have something to say back to all of the people who assume that feminism is bad and just hates on men. I want to be able to give my friends a clear definition that is easy for them to understand that describes what feminism is all about and why it is so important to me. Before coming to IC I never ever thought that I would consider my self a feminist. When I began to realize that it was something that I really felt was important to me, I was afraid to admit it. I took women's lives last semester and in the book we had to read there was a part about egalitarian gender roles. Ever since reading that I always have said to those who laugh when I talk about feminism, "I'm not a feminist, I just believe in egalitarian gender roles." I knew I was in the right class when we talked about what we normally hear at the end of "I'm not a feminist but…"