A few days ago, my friends and I talked about feminism, and I’m honestly not sure what the 21st century definition of it means. As we gathered around to talk about our career aspirations and goals after college, no one but me wanted to get married and have a family. When I spoke this fact, they were surprised that I would pick a family over a career. This got me thinking about the “F” word.
Back when feminism hit the big wave in the later part of the 20th century, it was girl power. Careers, no husbands, no shaving, burning bras. Activists wanted to get women out of the kitchen and into the work force. But, what if some women wanted to stay there because they enjoyed cooking or spending time with children?
Now, these radical feminist are trying to make decisions about what will make us happy. Isn’t that what the patriarchal society did to us before the wave? So, basically, we are shifting from one dictator to another.
Personally, I think women should have the right to choose what they want to do, whether it is a cook or a corporate executive. Each person knows what he or she is good at, so ideally that should be enough.
Some of my friends criticized me for wanting to have both a career and family, while others thought I would waste away my talent on a heinous husband. Why can’t I have both? I plan to have a career as a librarian and a family one day.
My career doesn’t define who I am; neither does the person I marry one day. I define me. Those other things are part of my life, but they aren’t my being.
So, the next time my friends decide to burn their bras defying The Man, I’m going to make chocolate-chip cookies for myself because they are delicious.
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