Feminism (an Introduction)

Alright. Where to begin?

I am an avid blog reader. I have a few that I read frequently, and a couple of those are written by feminists. Mormon feminists, to be completely accurate. Consequently, I've ended up reading a fair number of entries and articles that deal with feminism and its meaning and place within the Church.

If I'm being completely honest, I am quite uninformed about the intricacies of Feminism. However, the topic intrigues me because, lately, I've come to realize that Feminism is not what I once thought it was. Perhaps even I, myself, may be an underdeveloped feminist, just waiting to enter this gender-defined world.

Growing up I (sort of) knew what Feminism was, but I thought of it in a negative light. I didn't have justification for it; still, the unhappy connotation was there. I imagined feminists as these raging women wearing coveralls and throwing buckets of fake blood on any man they saw, like so many crazed animal rights activists.

Yesterday, however, Christian vocalized in a comment something I hadn't really thought about: Feminism is incredibly varied. There are many different kinds of feminists, and indeed it would be near impossible to fit them all into one category.

That's when I started examining my life. While I have never actually come out and defined myself as a feminist, I find myself agreeing (or at least aligning) with many ideas that are strongly supported in Feminism. As far back as I can remember, I have believed that men and women are equal. It wasn't a big deal to me to actually lay down the lines of measurement. In my mind there wasn't a distinction between the genders; people were people.

I still see the world that way, for the most part. Unfortunately I don't think that's how the world sees me.

A few months ago I had an experience with some construction workers that opened my eyes to the way some people work. It left me frustrated, embarrassed, and offended. Mostly, though, I was just sad.

So, I guess if the most basic requirement of being a feminist is the belief that women are just as valid as men (and should be treated the same respect), then sign me up for a pair of coveralls.