Archive for March 2014

Too much knowing is overwhelming; there's not enough of what we're wanting. A little bit of everything and everyone, texts flying around, faces popping on the map: driving on the roads, stopping by the restaurants, sleeping, having fun. It's sad when the one currently in front of you has also reduced himself into another face on the map; you're helplessly clinging on the littlest piece he has left, to no avail. Unless you're there, becoming another one driving on the roads, stopping by the restaurants, sleeping, having fun. To your relief, you're not, you'll never be, but then here you are, feeling lonelier than ever. Surrounded by the little bits of everything and everyone, seemingly many but none of them enough for you.

One can be fully naked and be a feminist, one can be fully-covered and be a feminist. One can be an unmarried, career-oriented woman and be a feminist, one can be a stay-at-home mother with three children and also be a feminist. It is wrong and ironic to create a certain branding on how a feminist should dress, behave, or make life choices when the essence of feminism itself is to do exactly the opposite: to free women from the pressure of having to adhere to general perception of how women should be in the society.
By nature, early campaign of feminism would see women who break this conservative brand of women's position in society as the icon of feminism. But it doesn't mean that we should expect all women to do just that; it's wrong to write off women whose life choices just happen to fit that conservative brand of women as anti-feminists.
We are blessed to live in the time when more and more concern are put into feminism; we're seen as equal to men, we're blessed with education, career-options, and we can continue to thrive in the less and less male-dominated world. Let's not fall in the same trap and unconsciously give a new "brand of women" we should adhere to. No life choice is inferior to other. As long as it's our own, as long as we don't let our choice be driven by the need to meet the standards set by others, every choice is just as respectable.
Respect the stay-at-homes. Respect the fully-covered.
Happy international women's day.