Friday's Five Facts: What makes me a Feminist

 Y'all know that I love fashion. This is a fashion blog isn't it? But today I want to talk about the other major F word in my life- feminism.

I am a feminist. Unlike girl genius extraordinaire Tavi Gevinson, it took me about 20 years of my life to be able to comfortably state that. This was partly due to the social stigma around the word, but mostly due to the lack of a label for feelings of frustration I can trace back to when I was labeled a slut by other girls just for having lots of guy friends and a boyfriend in 9th grade.

What makes me a feminist?

1.Equality. I hold a deep seeded belief that all people are equal regardless of gender identity, sex, race, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, weight, health, ability etc.

2. Opportunity. Going in line with the belief that all people are equal, I believe that all people deserve equal opportunities. I support equal pay, Title IX, and goddammit I want to see more women, LGBT people, and people of color in positions of power!

3. I hate double standards. I spent three semesters studying the sexual double standard as part of my undergraduate thesis. Double standards go beyond sexual activity. Women are held to different standards than men, and it's not fair.

4. Choice. I believe that all people have the right to make the decisions that affect their health, happiness, and well being. For me choice goes beyond reproductive rights. Choice is about options and freedom. It is the choice to marry, or not marry, whomever you want and to have children, or to not have children. It's the choice to stay home with those children or the choice to be a working parent. It's the choice to live where you want, wear what you want, eat what you want, and practice whatever religion you want.

5. Empowerment. Everyone deserves to find their own voice. Being a part of the VDay movement, working with Boston GLOW, and even starting this blog have helped me find mine.

Want to hear more? Next Wednesday, October 3rd, I'm partnering with Boston GLOW for "These Clothes Were Made for Talking". It will be a discussion and networking event for women, exploring fashion and feminism- what our clothes say about us and whether they should shut the hell up!

If you're in New England please come by! If you don't identify as a feminist, please don't be intimidated. We're just looking to have a good discussion, maybe a few drinks, and a lot of fun!  If you use the discount code "Spitfire" you'll get admission for $2! Purchase tickets HERE.

This Sundress is Not for You

I want to take a minute to talk about something serious- street harassment. I've never met a woman that hasn't had to deal with cat calls, whistles, and/or unwanted advances at some point in her life. It's something I face about 2-3 times a week as part of my commute to work. Most days I can shrug it off with a witty remark, but Tuesday I dealt with five separate instances of street harassment. 

1. 9:00am- On the platform at the train station:  "Good morning beautiful". I sigh, roll my eyes and walk away.

2. 9:20am- On the bus a guy sits super close and says "hey baby, how's your day going?". I say "It was going fine until you invaded my personal space" and change seats. 

3. 9:25am- Walking from the bus to work, I get honked at and whistled at by a truck full of workers. The driver almost hits a biker because he isn't watching the road. I give them the finger and shout "watch the road". One of the men calls me a stupid bitch. 

4. 2:45pm- Out of work early for the Holiday and excited to go meet up with my guy for a late lunch, I'm walking quickly to the bus. While waiting at an intersection for the walk signal a guy says "Excuse me" thinking he's going to ask me for directions, I acknowledge him. He follows up with "where's your boyfriend pretty girl." I say "Please leave me alone" loudly and cross the street.

5. 9pm- Walking with my boyfriend enjoying the beautiful summer evening listening to him tell a funny story when I am distracted by kissy noises and calls of "damn, girl" and "hey sexy" from three men sitting on a stoop. I glare at them, drop my boyfriend's arm and say "You've got to be kidding me." He looks confused because he didn't hear any of it. I explain what happened and that I would have said something back to them had he not been with me. They outnumbered him 3 to 1, and I didn't want to start anything. I then vent to him about my day. I'm shocked that this happened with him. Normally men don't bother you if you appear to "belong" to someone else. 

By the end of the day I felt unsafe, pissed, annoyed, anxious, and sad. 

 I don't know what it is that makes some men think that I get dressed for them in the morning, but I don't. I get dressed for me. This sundress is for me! Women deserve to live in a culture where we can walk freely in our communities without fear of harassment or assault. 

Outfit:
Dress and Belt: H&M

Cardigan: Target

Sandals: Payless

If you are experiencing street harassment, or want to do more check out Hollaback! Please don't ignore street harassment! Take a stand. Talk about it and share your stories. 


I'll get down off my soap box now, but I felt the need to share with y'all.