Belief System Response

Growing up, my parents constantly told me I could be anything and anyone, and that nothing could hold me back. I was raised to be a strong and independent person, which made me believe I could do anything just as well as anyone else, even men, as long as I made an effort. As I got older however, I realized that these views I grew up with, were not universal. This completely shocked me. I had not realized that we lived in a patriarchal society because I grew up a tad sheltered, and this topic was never discussed in my school. I began to realize that women faced some very difficult challenges from society. As I delved more into the subject of sexism in college, I realized I never noticed how often women are misrepresented in the media (or not represented at all), treated inferiorly to men, how common it was for women to feel unsafe or objectified, how women are lacking in STEM/political fields, and how I had even experienced sexism in my life, but never realized it. I also never noticed the sexism that men dealt with. While this was incredibly new and intense information, I began educating myself more about Sexism and Feminism so I could understand them better. I eventually became comfortable with calling myself a Feminist because I believe not only in equality of the sexes, but equality for everyone. I became more vocal about my experiences with sexism (ex: times I have been objectified by men on campus, people telling me I do not understand certain topics as well as men), and how I plan to play a role in changing things for both women and men. We as a society need to stop putting people into a box and reinforcing these ancient, predetermined ideas about who someone should be, what should be important to them, and how they should live their lives. While I still believe that no one can stop me from being happy, successful, ad independent, I acknowledge that there are very sexist views in the world that can be obstacles in the way of peoples success. This feminist view not only opened my eyes to the lack of equality between the sexes, but the lack of equality, and equity, in the world, specifically when it comes to race and disability. I never realized how sheltered I was back in my hometown to so many hugely significant issues, but now I am a vocal proponent of social change and making the world a more equitable place.