We just enjoyed a three day weekend thanks to the recognition of Martin Luther King Jr.'s many achievements. I do not think this is the time to review those achievements, nor do I think I am the best person to give such a review adequately.
What I do think is that if Martin L. King Jr. would have been Martina instead, someone would have been asking, "Does he shave he legs?" " Boxers or Briefs?" "Gay or straight?"
I would really like to know how my political views relate to whether or not I shave my legs, wear a bra or have sex with a man or woman or even both? Does my outfit match? Have I worn it before? Who designed it? Makeup or no?
Why does any of this matter? It doesn't. When I vote, I don't care if I have hairy legs. What I care about is the election outcome and how it will affect myself and others. When I talk to someone about legalizing same sex marriage, I am not wondering if I have worn this outfit before or if I have on mascara. What I wonder is if they can see the injustice of exclusion?
Dare I say the man pictured above was a feminist? Perhaps. He fought for equal rights. He stood up, spoke out and died fighting for what he believed in. ( He didn't answer questions about his underwear choices!) I can't know that he would approve but I believe that qualifies MLK Jr.. as a feminist.
I don't think it matters so much what a feminist looks like. He or she. Shaved or hairy. That is all just hype to try and keep us from what really matters in the choices we make each day. What matters is what we, (male or female) stand up for and stand up against. If we are spending all of our time defending our personal choices, we can be sidetracked. I ask myself do I care if someone else thinks I am; ugly, old, fat, hairy, queer, bitchy, crippled and/ or braless? Actually I no, I don't care what others are thinking about those things... I care whether or not they think there are injustices in our society that are worth fighting against.
J. Dean
I think that it is safe to say that MLK was a feminist! He did so much, and his assassination is an unfortunate but true reminder of this. His choice in underwear is not what we remember him by, it was the equality he wanted.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It is terribly convenient that we, as women are so distracted with what the world thinks of us so we spend so much time on our appearances, that we dont have enough time to fight for our freedom or the freedom of diversity all over the world. Very wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteSuch as when I found myself getting all caught up in playing the multitude of games on Facebook: building virtual farms with crops I could not reap, running businesses that did not pay me for my work, baking goods I could not eat, cleaning fishtanks for 'friends' I never met, and visiting zoos..all designed by me. I had to bring myself back to my "real time" life. I told myself that if I put as much time into my real life as I was my virtual life...I'd have it made. I put this to the test. Low & behold...shazam...my life is growing in leaps and bounds. I am reaping the rewards of the fruits of my labors. So it is, I believe, that too many have gotten caught up in the micro details so much they are incapable of viewing the macro-normous proportion of inequality. Too busy with the 'me' world to be active in the 'we' world. However, I also believe that there are lots of people who want to rejoin the real world...they just are not sure of how to stop the merry go round they are on...that is where we can be of help. Feminsim is not about race, color, designer clothes, personal hygiene,religious preference or even male or female...it is about the equality of rights.
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