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A Feminist’s Internalized Misogyny: Finding My People
Why am I fighting to stay out of a place I clearly belong?
We’ve come a long way in smashing the patriarchy and leaving it in pieces on the ground. I like to think I have done my part in starting conversations and taking action to help the feminist agenda. And yes, we most certainly have an agenda. They pass it out speakeasy-style in wine bars.
It turns out that I have a lot farther to go than I thought. In a nutshell, I am dealing with some profound internalized misogyny that has bubbled up ever since I abandoned my career earlier this month. It hit me hard and fast.
One of the most poignant things anyone ever said to me regarding feminism came out of my therapist’s mouth last year. When I was struggling with my own behavior and how it was potentially influenced by gendered assumptions, she reminded me of one of the foundations of feminism: choice.
She reminded me that feminism and female autonomy stems from our ability to choose what we want to do and who we want to be, unencumbered by expectations of what we should be.
My problem is that I have been so influenced by stigmas attached to being a woman that it’s sometimes hard for me to make…
