Dear Diary...
I came into this course pretty naïve about feminism and gender studies, but I am definitely glad I took the opportunity to explore a new area. I learned that “feminism” encompasses a broad range of perspectives and degrees of intensity, and for the most part, it is not as hard-core angry radical as it is often portrayed to be. In fact, I found that feminism is actually very compatible with most of the core beliefs I already held, such as empowering women, being accepting and supportive of a variety of different lifestyles that people choose, standing up for the rights of marginalized individuals even in other countries, and deemphasizing physical appearance as a way of judging people.
I think many people would be more in line with feminist ideals than they will ever have the chance to find out. The effect of the media has been to stigmatize feminism, and people are discouraged from learning more about it for fear of being labeled a sissy (men) or a lesbian (women). This stereotype needs to be obliterated for feminism to gain more credibility and influence. For example, a friend of mine who does not “look” like a feminist is actually very involved in the movement and is pursuing a GWSS degree. She recently wore a bright pink shirt around campus that said “This is what a feminist looks like.” She said she received some pretty odd looks from people, but this is what they need to see!