strong in her girls

It’s no secret that my high school championed feminism. Every week during co-curriculum (which my parents called work release) they taught us girls to go out into the work force and be productive, strong, powerful, outspoken and inquisitive. We learned to trust and get to know ourselves and our new classmates, and learned about our history and culture freshman year. Sophomore year we learned how to give back in a meaningful way in the community. Junior year we roamed the halls of Capitol Hill with high powered senators and congressmen. And Senior year we interned in major businesses around DC. I graduated with a more full resume than most of my peers had by the end of their college years.

And thanks to my senior year internship, I had Fox News on my resume.

I was proud of that – it’s a huge cable news network. I worked behind the scenes and did meaningful things to help the news to be produced in a “fair and balanced” way.

I’m a little less impressed now, however, that I read this article by Suzanne Venker that has been circulating: the war on men

So I started writing this blog with a strong opinion and point of view on everything this contradictory woman had to say. But then I realized, enough people had already said enough and she wrote a follow up article explaining herself: let’s call a truce

Well, phwew. Glad I didn’t have to sort through all that talk about how the rise of feminism and the rise of gender equality is resulting in promiscuous, power hungry, man eating women. Glad I didn’t have to comment on men’s emasculation and slacking enthusiasm in the office/home/society that is all women’s fault. Glad I didn’t have to make all those comments, because let me tell you, I just deleted a whole lot of writing.

In April I’m getting married. I went to college and have an ad executive job that I am succeeding in. I am succeeding but I am not competing to be more powerful than he is (which Venker’s second article explains). I am learning to be independent, to be respected, trusted, and taken seriously. In April when we marry, I am planning on taking his name. I am planning on spending time at home with our children, when that time comes. I am letting him “protect” me, but I’m not letting him overpower me, which I want to point out is the difference between man-eaters and feminists.

I am woman, hear me roar!