I am a feminist

I am a feminist, but I have a passion for fashion.

I am a feminist, but I only post pictures on social media when I like my appearance.

I am a feminist, but I am tired of explaining what feminism is really about.

Female Face inspired by female artist Kit Agar (follow her on instagram @kitagar)

Inspired by one of my favorite podcasts called “The Guilty Feminist”, I started to work on my personal list of apparent contradictions and realized an important life lesson. Every so often, I find myself justifying my values starting from why I studied fashion all the way to why I call myself a feminist. At this point I haven’t even dared to highlight the correlation between the two concepts, but we’ll get to that. To quote Deborah Frances White, “The Guilty Feminist’s” co-host, by using the aforementioned list I am addressing “the insecurities, hypocrisies and fears that undermine our lofty principles” – These profound words embody my definition of 21st century feminism par excellence: to me, feminism is an endless valley of highs and lows full of opposing ideas that miraculously don’t exclude each other as long as you don’t let them.

Feminism 101

Newsflash for everyone irritated by that approach: life is full of contradictions and that’s what makes life worth living. Merging fashion and feminism for me is like salted caramel – if you’ve never tried it before you might worry they won’t match or even cancel each other out. But once you consider fashion to be your own white canvas, you might as well just fill it with issues that you deeply care about. And for me, feminism is on my personal agenda because it makes me feel connected a world that is more just. I first realized how powerful this feeling can be when I met people who shared these values. Nothing is more empowering than teaming up with likeminded peers. While it’s pretty certain that you won’t find a remedy to clean up the mess mankind created over the last thousand years all by yourself, the chances grow exponentially when you team up as a group. Everyone who takes #supportyourlocalgirlgang seriously knows what I am talking about. There’s so much bullshit going on in the world already so why don’t we all come together and empower one another wherever we can, no matter how small the encouragement may be?

To kick off the process of female empowerment, I started a little social experiment that is equally simple as it’s highly effective: whenever I’m waiting for the subway and I see a girl or a woman whose style I like I compliment her. In my experience, even a few kind words will brighten up anyone’s day or at least make them forget their worries for a minute. By talking to a stranger, I simultaneously break out of my comfort zone, which is an excellent way to connect with the world and boost your self-confidence on the way – double score for you and your karma is guaranteed. 

Yes, that too, is what feminism is for me. It’s about equality, breaking free from gender stereotypes and standing up for one another. Feminism is based on empathy and the fact that you are not alone feeling what you’re feeling. The chances are pretty high that there are a lot of people who feel just the same way as you. And somebody has to raise their voice for everyone’s benefit. For the one’s who can’t speak for themselves. The one’s who face injustice on a daily basis. Let’s make this world a little better for everyone’s sake. 

As I am not someone who wants to force my lifestyle on anyone, I simply invite you to reflect on your values. Do you consider yourself a feminist? If yes, why? If no, why not? What’s your definition of a perfect world? How can we make this one a better place?

Before you ask, no, this text doesn’t turn into a Michael-Jackson-song, even though the temptation is killing me. 

Happy privileged Sunday!