Michelle from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
I am a feminist because our society still requires me to be one, because I cannot sit idly by and do nothing when faced with the systemic acceptance of willful ignorance, inequity and discrimination, because I refuse to be treated like a lesser human being.
Patsy from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
I am a feminist because I believe in equality among men and women. Everybody is a person and they should be treated as one.
Nikeisha from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
What a feminist means to me is having the strength to face life’s challenges.
Paola from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
I am a feminist because I believe in gender equality, equal opportunities, rights and responsibilities for men and women. I am a feminist because I believe that women are worth beyond all stereotypes, cliché or paradigms and that we are on track to prove it. I am a feminist because it makes a person more humane and sensitive to the horrors that our gender has historically suffered, and because I truly believe in a world free of physical, moral and psychological abuse.
Christina from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
I am a feminist because even now, living in a country that proclaims that all people are created equal, women of every color, class, and age are affected by gender bias and discrimination. I want to see a world where women make as much as men in the workforce and are afforded the same opportunities and choices as our male counterparts. I want to see a nation where young girls and boys are not steered toward gender-specific toys, and pink and blue are just colors…not identities. Although our country has made huge strides in the march toward gender equality, there are still many more miles to go toward that goal. This is not only important to me as a woman in my own right, but as a mother of a young girl who is just beginning to see and perceive the expectations that our culture has foisted upon children, and the so-called “differences” between boys and girls and how they function in society. This is why I am a feminist.
Muffy from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
A feminist can look like me wearing a dress and stiletto heels teaching college students about social constructions of disability.
Devon from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
I’m a feminist because I believe in gender equity and fight to minimize the disadvantages women face. I feel that men must educate themselves on how their male privilege manifests itself in all areas of life, and the expectations they hold of the women in their life due to that privilege. There is plenty of room at the table for anyone who wants to challenge the sexism, misogyny and patriarchal norms found among our communities and institutions. So, what are you waiting for? Pull up a seat!
Bethany from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
I was someone who never considered herself as a feminist before I started getting involved at the Women’s Center. Now I realize that not only have I always been a feminist, but most of the women (and a lot of the men) that I know are feminists as well. I thought having these opinions on equality was something that most people wanted, not something that people were against.
Rachel from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
Feminism is not a dirty word— it’s a necessary one. I am a feminist because women’s bodies are their own. We should all be free to express our sexuality without shame, live without the fear of assault and violence, and let no government deny us health care and reproductive rights. Whether you are a social studies teacher or a sex worker, you own yourself. Never forget that.
