Did you show sparks of feminism when you were a child? This was on that gift and source of sewage called ‘social media’, this time a gift as the answers (I’ll start with my own) are fab. Fascinating. Frustrating. Informative. Don’t tell and teach girls (and people of color) that everyone is equal in ‘Merica if and when the lie that teaching is slaps us in the face every single day. All shared here anonymously…
I grew up watching coercive financial control. That was the beginning for me. He gave her a “housekeeping allowance” each week and kept the rest – an allowance that took no notice of growing children or seasonal variations in grocery prices or anything else. She secretly ran an ironing service (drop off at 9:30am, pick up by 2:30pm) and that money was our sliding margin between having shoes that fitted properly, birthday and Christmas gifts, and occasional trips to the cinema or the zoo. If he’d known, he’d have spent more money on beer.
1970. I was 5. Playing with puppets with my friend (male, also 5) from down the street. We were talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up and I said Prime Minister (Canada) to which he replied “you’re a girl, you can’t be Prime Minister, you have to be the Prime Minister’s wife!” Pretty much from that moment on… (also I recognize that this was a very random choice for a 5 year old with a family that wasn’t involved in politics at all.
I knew early on that I’d fight for women’s rights when I was harassed by boys in kindergarten but I was told “it’s because they like you”. I got punished for pushing them back. When Gloria Steinem & company came on the scene when I was 13, I now had the words and labels I needed to describe my feelings.
I had 4 brothers & my parents are DEEPLY religious. I could see from the time I was 6 how unfair it was that i was treated differently than my brothers were. I couldn’t understand why I had rules they didn’t have to follow. I had to sit up like a lady in church while my brothers spread horizontal on the pews & fell asleep. They were allowed pants. I had to wear a starched dress. They were allowed to dream of future careers. I was ONLY allowed to expect to be a stay at home mom. They could take their shirts off in the heat & i had to stay covered. I’ve been angry about the double standards my entire life.
Many arguments with my father about female sexuality, why are we used goods but boys are studs?
In 4th Grade at a Catholic School we marched at lunch time to allow girls onto the field after eating and not confined to the blacktop only. We finally got that privilege in Fith Grade because none of us would let it go.
When it was Senior ring time in high school I really really wanted an onyx stone. The salesman told me “girls don’t get black stones” and wouldn’t let me get what I wanted.
I was 7 or 8 and wanted to run through sprinklers without my top on. I complained God just wants girls to be hot?!?
I was the girl in the mud with my princess outfit. I beat up the bullies for my younger brothers. Thankfully my parents didn’t care if i played with ‘boy’ toys or ‘girl’ toys. I wore boys clothes for a year. I loved when there was a female character like a superhero.
My dad always used to say things like “you’ll make a great secretary for an important boss one day” and I always said “ I’ll be the boss. Not the Secretary “. I also said to my pop that “Good girls go to heaven. Bad Girls go everywhere.“
My bro was 3 years younger than me and never had a responsibility in the world til I moved out at 18. I’d have to clean his room, let him play wrestling with my stuffed animals, he got all the technology he wanted. If I accused of it being unfair, I’d get thrown in my room by my arm.
When I was in primary School, girls did dancing and boys played football. I wanted to play football so when it was P.E I went and sat on the football field in protest. It was 1993 and I was 10 years old.
I lived in Southern Mississippi and it was so hot during the summer. When I was 6 or 7 I didn’t understand why I had to wear a shirt and the boys didn’t, so one day I didn’t either.
Yup. I was so mad I never got a remote control car and it’s all I wanted. My mother used to buy me dolls. I didn’t like them. But one day I took apart her transistor radio to see how it worked. I got it all back together again.
I bought a subscription of Ms. magazine when it first came out in 1972. I was eleven.
Never wanted to be Ginger or MaryAnn. Always wanted to be the professor.
There are so many more – I remember the day we were finally allowed to wear pants to school. And of course, I remember the day Archie told me I would have to give up my name when I got married, as well as having to share my money. Oh hell no I won’t! Still ain’t married. Still gots me my own money! And Mrs. J, telling us all that boys were better at measuring and math. Huh? Have you met DLouie Lou (our class resident math whiz, and a girl?!!). Craziness.