What sort of feminist am I?

I will be honest with you. I am not educated in 'feminism'. I have not read the books nor am I am aware of the key articles I should have read. However, I have always held strong opinions on how I have allowed myself to be treated, and how I see my friends allow others to treat them. My ideas focus largely on the self esteem of women, of how we allow people who 'love' us to treat us, as this is where my passion for female empowerment comes from.

While I googled around for my blog title I came across this article, Feminine Feminism by Laura Wadsworth, which has summarises so much of what I think about being a 'new' feminist.

She opens her article with, "I like pink. I like boys. I get excited over lipstick names - but I'm still a feminist." I know many hold a stereotype of what a feminist looks like, but I fail to see how what I wear defines my beliefs about women. I put effort into how I dress. I won't leave the house without make-up. I love red lipstick. Does this somehow mean I am not a feminist?

"Some people may argue that being girly is only a way of attracting males, thus becoming male dependant - and where's the equality in that? But wanting to feel feminine, to me, is a means of self-confidence."  Now, I won't even go to the corner shop without eyeliner, mascara and blusher. I just prefer how I look and it makes me feel good. It gives me a spring in my step, and makes me happy to hold my head up high. Should I feel this way without make-up? Perhaps, but I don't, so where is the harm? Personally I don't see any.

"Surely this is modern feminism: being proud of our gender and not taking any stick from males, without being anti-men" Wadsworth pretty much sums up my stance with this sentence. I'm not anti-men. But I'm sick of how so many women seem to allow themselves to be treated by men. 

The F Word, with the by-line 'Contemporary Uk Feminism' has an interesting article, Pink 'n' Mix Feminism
describes the differet 'types' of feminism. It lists radical feminists, goddess feminists, second wave and third wave feminists, new wave/power feminists and pop feminist/feminist lite. Catherine Redfern does note of course that there are other types of feminists who don't fit into these neat boxes. Redfern describes herself as a pick 'n' mix feminist, which is something I can relate to. I'm not yet comfortable to label myself as a definite sort of feminist, and perhaps never will be.