The first time I noticed that being a woman meant I was a "second class" Human Being, was in university, when I was told by my surgery lecturer to "grow a pair" when I was too scared of doing too much pressure during an extraction. It got me thinking, even after I got home. "Grow a pair". Obviously, to be successful in my career, I needed to grow testicles. 

After a day in surgery, I got in the shower (because, eek) and realised that this was a rather odd expression to say: having courage was associated with being male. On the contrary, being cowardly and weak was associated with being female ("don't be such a pussy", "crying like a girl" or doing things like a girl in general).

I don't know about you, but I used to do a lot of thinking in the shower. It eventually led to overthinking, and now I have a really nifty penguin shaped radio, and I now synchronize my daily cleanse with the radio dramas. This particular shower was like an epiphany: women are worth less than men. I certainly didn't feel less than anyone else, I personally never saw men and women as different "species". Sure, I know there are anatomical differences, but in my head everybody was just a person. Sure, women have been oppressed, but this is the twenty first century, surely I'm over reacting. 

But... Am I? 

Maybe feminists aren't the weirdos the media makes the, with armpit hair and burning their bras. Maybe I was a feminist and we're in desperate need of more feminists.

The more I thought of it, the more this became obvious to me. Here is a very small list of things that sounded unfair to me:

and the most recent one:

Going to the supermarket (at 7am, consumed by a cold from hell, desperate for my temperature to go down so I could show up at work), and hearing this from the cashier (a man): I know you, don't I? You're my dentist! You should really put some make up on for your patients, you might even look pretty!). 

The funniest thing about that last one is, after I replied "Would you have said that if was a man?", the cashier just smiled and said "Oh, don't get offended! I meant it as a compliment!".

Feminism is a vital necessity. Women need to be treated as equals.

For the budding feminists, here's an great way to spend your time and expand your mind:

Caitlin Moran's "How to be a Woman"

This was my very first "feminist" read. I bought it when I worked at a bookshop and fell in love with the cover and blurbs: everything made so much sense!

After I started, I couldn't put it down. This book made such great points AND it was hilarious. I related to Moran's thoughts and ideas, and this was my very first encounter with the word "Humanist". An absolute must read.

Laura Bates's "Everyday Sexism"

I am very grateful for Laura's existence. She is one of the most important women today fighting for gender equality, and this book should be given to every single Human Being to read. It opens your eyes to the reality of being a woman in today's society, and also about being a minority AND a woman. The best thing about this book? She points out some very important facts about sexism that affects men. I'm not just a supporter of women's rights but men's rights too!

Various Authors: "Are Men Obsolete?" 

This is a great book that shows you very different points of view on Feminism. This is the book version of the Munk debate. I think that, not only men are NOT obsolete, they are vital. They are just as important as women. And (to me), that's the meaning of feminism. It is, however, very interesting to read the opposing opinions of these women. And Caitlin Moran's in it, so this is a must read just for this lady's amazing thoughts and ideas.

Laura Bates's "Girl Up"

My husband bought me this a few weeks ago. He knows that anything by Laura Bates or Caitlin Moran needs to be bought immediately. I haven't finished this book yet, but it's already proving to be an interesting read. Possibly aimed at the teenagers, it has lots of pictures, humour and important ideas that should be read by everybody. I was waiting at the doctor's reading this, and a picture of a dancing female vulva (top hat and cane included) popped up and I got some sinister looks from the old man sitting next to me. Maybe he just needed to Girl Up.

Rebecca Solnit's "Men Explain Things to Me"

Another book I'm currently reading (yes, I start SEVERAL books at the same time. I'm one of those freaks). Very short, so I must keep it in my bad for "on the go" feminism. This is a very sad book, strongly about misogyny. And because I don't like feeling down, I have bumped up other books on my "to be read" pile.

To read list:

There are so many other books on my to read list, and I am especially interested in the mid twentieth century feminism. But more on that later!