annaiswriting, 11/30

        During class on Tuesday, we discussed Judith Butler and feminist theory. Before taking this class, I had a strong interest in reading more feminist theory because of my previous experience in taking Intro to SWAG. I found reading theory as a way to educate myself on the struggles of feminists before me, and I also found it relatable to the struggles that I face as a woman today. Being able to discuss issues of feminism in a class without any men felt empowering because I could fully express myself and my experiences of misogyny without feeling judged or invalidated. In class, I discussed how when I would talk about feminism with men, despite knowing more about the topic because of my experience as a woman and because of the classes I have taken, the men would often believe that they somehow knew more about feminism than me. Throughout my college experience, I have dealt with the struggle of constantly feeling like no matter how intelligent and educated I am, my male colleagues would not view me as an equal. It has made dating extremely difficult because when I bring up these issues I feel like I am being “too much” even though I should never feel bad about standing up for what I believe in. I feel like I never really have a space to discuss how I constantly question my intellect and capability, and how that is likely to deal with my gender. When discussing being a feminist at college in this class, I heard another student talk about how men would react negatively when she told them that she was taking gender studies courses. I could completely relate to her because a lot of people, specifically male students, often do not understand the value of taking those types of courses. A statement that I hear often is that majoring or minoring in gender studies is easy, or that it should not be a real major. However, if any of those people were placed into a gender studies course, I truly believe that they would find the material challenging. Although, as a woman, I tend to fear being too much for other people, I tend to feel empowered to share my opinions and express who I am after engaging in empowering conversations with other feminists. I find that surrounding myself with other feminists encourages me to stand up for what I believe in.