Troubles With Feminism

   I am proud to be a feminist.  I am proud to be amongst other great women fighting against sexism, oppression, misogyny and patriarchy.  When I experience sexist behaviour, or I come across misogyny, I get angry and frustrated and then I want to vent. 

  When I experience these things I try to put across my views on it, trying to make people understand why sexism is so negative.  I also vent by writing about these things.  To me this is what feminism is about.  Or what I think it’s about. 

  I have to be honest, as a very new feminist, I don’t really know what the full extent of a feminist or feminism is.  I see all these words get thrown about, and I then try and spend my time reading through it and trying to work out what it is or what it all means. 

  I recently signed the No More Page Three petition and I have also brought the t-shirt.  But yesterday when I wrote about this on twitter, also saying I had brought a pro-choice t-shirt with the slogan “My Pussy, My Choice” on, I got a very negative response (also some positive).  I can understand how ironic it is saying I am against page three, but I want the choice of an abortion. 

  What I got from the responses, was that they thought I wanted to take away the choice of being a page three model.  But that’s not what I want at all.  I am against page three because I don’t believe it is right to use women’s naked bodies as a commodity, in any sense (and I know this happens elsewhere and not just on page three). 

  I don’t think it makes sense putting pictures of naked women in a newspaper, since that isn’t news.  I don’t want my nieces and other young girls growing up seeing this one body type, thinking that is how they have to look to get guys to drool over them.  And I also don’t want them growing up thinking this is all their worth. 

  They should have many different role models, and then if they decide that actually they do want to become a page three model, not because they think that’s all they can or should do, but because they want to, then that’s fine.  But last night I couldn’t seem to get that point across, and I felt a bit silenced by some people who it just seemed wanted to have a go. 

  So now I’ve decided to read through people’s blog posts, understand their idea of feminism and what they do, what they wish to fight and achieve and then maybe I’ll have a better understanding of it all.  I’ve realised that maybe trying to put my views and opinions across on things doesn’t always go so well as I’m not 100% sure on everything “feminism”. 

  I know I’m not going to change other people’s views or opinions, but I would like to be able to make them think twice about things.  But before I try to talk about certain things, or give someone my views and opinions I will make sure I know what I’m talking about.  From a down heartened feminist.