You Are Reading About a Radical Feminist!

I am a firm believer and I live my life as a radical feminist. I also agree with the Marxist feminist viewpoint, so I guess that would make me a Socialist Feminist. I agree wholeheartedly with the notion that our culture has subjugated women in an effort to control her sexuality and reproduction potential. I also agree that the concept of property and of ownership has given the powers that be the right and legitimacy to control women and to limit women's activity in society.

When I was 22 I legally dropped my last name. I despise the notion of assigning of the father's last name to a child. This is only done to assign ownership and provide society with who 'own's' the property (child). I have never understood why women make such a big deal about keeping their maiden names when married because, to me, it is just the same as 'taking' their husbands name-it is still a man's name and it still denotes ownership.

I believe that our society teaches boys and girls that men are superior and that women and a woman's experience is less important. Our society (government, legal system, etc.) is all set up in a patriarchal fashion, valuing things such as money, property, prestige. We are taught, both girls and boys, that these things are important.

We devalue women's experiences. The only part of a woman's experience that our society views as wonderful is pregnancy. But this is because it is about the baby, not the pregnant woman. We have negative views of menstruation, and menopause. We don't empower women with the knowledge that they are unique and special. The woman's experience has no place in our patriarchal world.

I don't think that a man's experience is less valid, it just isn't any more important than a woman's. They both should be valued. They are completely different. We can be equal in that both men and women can be valued, but we can only be valued in different ways. That is when we will reach total and complete equality. When I pattern my life after what is important to a patriarchal world then I am furthering the legitimacy of that patriarchy.

Women have a unique makeup, a unique view of the world, and society should value it as much a man's. Women should have organizations or institutions where we support each other, learn from each other, and reconnect to what makes us different, unique, and special from men.

Currently, women compete with each other. We compare ourselves with other women. This furthers the legitimacy of a patriarchal society because it keeps women divided. Instead of separating women by race, class, or culture, we should all value each woman's unique experience as women-not as part of a society or group that derives its legitimacy in the patriarchal tradition. Cultures and class systems are all based on this patriarchal view and understanding of the world.
Our culture is set up to provide women options based on what is important to men and based on how women are viewed by men. Women need to redefine these options. We are not just sex objects, or the raisers of children. We are not just the 'other' sex that suddenly wants to participate in society the way men have traditionally done. We are more than that-much more.

Personally, I do my best to live the life of a radical feminist. It is difficult because it truly requires a lot of introspection and open defiance of current social norms. I am married, (one thing that I thought I would never do) because I met a man who respects and values my outlook on life. He fully supports me and my views. He believes, as I do, that women are and can be powerful and independent.

I believe that women should be strong and assertive. I weight life a lot and I used to be a personal trainer until I got sick of my female clients obsessing about being smaller and skinnier. I am called a bitch a lot and at work, I am viewed as being 'on a power trip' because I say what I think and I don't apologize for it. But I don't think that men need to be afraid of me, I just think that they don't understand me. Our society tells men and women how women should behave and I don't behave that way at all. I think women need to decide for themselves what being a woman means and is-not our patriarchal society.