Wizard of Oz, Gertrude Stein, Girls....and Feminism?

I feel that the relationship between girls and feminism is, in one word; confused. Even in programs created on the foundation of feminism, such as YWLP, the “f-word” is one that is strictly forbidden.” While the girls think they know nothing about this land-mine of a word, they are taught methods of autonomy, competence, and connection among women, which unbeknownst to them, are the principles of feminism. They excel, blossom, and become independent under these lessons, all the while still feeling negativism or puzzlement in regards to the mythical ideal which is feminism. Although it is frustrating to know that a 12 year old who has just become more active in the community, more independent, and more confident in her own capabilities all due to feminism is still harboring pessimism towards the very thing providing her a newfound strength and belief, it is important to remember that a title isn’t everything. I understand why we can not present feminism as a term on a silver platter, because I understand that the survival of the program rests on not scaring the parents, the school system, and the financial supporters with the negative reactions associated with the history and sometimes radical nature of feminism. And the existence of such programs is more important than being able to tell them the origins of what we teach. A rose is a rose is a rose. It is what it is. It is enough that they are given the tools to land on their own two feet. It is enough that in our last meeting of the school year, one of the girls said, “I love YWLP because it taught me to love myself, and that I can do anything.” I am confident that the confusion will subside, and that the confusion is good; it will fuel them to discover their own path. If they discover and adopt feminism on their own, the connection will be 10,000 times more powerful than if we present it to them as such. Confusion is not always a bad thing. I think that too often, we rush to ease discomfort with a band-aid, when we should let time do the healing. Rushing to ease the confusion felt in adolescence with what we have learned out of our own confusion will not make it better. Adolescence is a time of growth, pain, joy, unsettlement, and self-discovery. Attempting to remove the journey with all of our answers; the answers that worked for us as individuals, is not the answer. The answer, I feel, is to give girls the power to learn what works for them. One day they will look back and realize, “Wait…I have been a feminist all along.” I don’t know why, but I was just reminded of the dialogue from the end of The Wizard of Oz:
Scarecrow: Look! Here's someone who can help you.
Dorothy: Oh - will you help me? Can you help me?
Glinda: You don't need to be helped any longer. You've always had the power. You’ve always had it in you.
Dorothy: I have?
Scarecrow: Then why didn't you tell her before?
Glinda: Because she wouldn't have believed me. She had to learn it for herself.
Tin Man: What have you learned, Dorothy?
Dorothy: Well, I - I think that if I ever go lookingfor my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard,because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with. Is that right?
Glinda: That's all it is!

There is a difference between studying feminism and living it. In Baumgardner and Richards’ Feminism and Feminity: Or How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Thong, the idea of femininity as a source of strength, and the idea of living as a feminist without hating men, giving up dresses, or feeling pressure to live without what we sometimes desire (fashion magazines, nail polish, girly music, etc) made me really happy to read. I sometimes battle guilt and confliction over whether or not I should read Glamour, or shell out 16 dollars for the new MAC eyeliner; and I feel part of the rejection girls feel towards the “f-word” has something to do with their association of feminism with feeling badly about valuing ‘trivial’ and ‘girly’ things. As much as I am aware of the detriments of reading Cosmopolitan, or worrying about having the latest and greatest beauty products, I still want to read magazines and buy new face masks. Reading this chapter alleviated a lot of the shame I have felt over the years of believing and wondering whether my actions would be disapproved under a feminist ideology. The element of accepting femininity in third-wave feminism is something which I think will ultimately aid in the transition from young girls leading a feminist life without even knowing it, to embracing the history and knowledge available in classes such as Women’s and Girl’s Studies.

-Emily

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