Summer of Feminista: We are the feministas

Written by Juana Hernandez of "I Am the Woman of Myth and Bullshit"

we are the women your mother feared you would fall for, lest we refuse the family heirlooms, or fail to master the secret art of her famous caldo de res.  we are the kind of women that your mother finds suspect, the kind she would not choose to take her place as the leading lady in your life. and dearest, we don't mind the diss. we do not care to feed and coddle you, grown man that you are. we have no interest in being your mother, nor your lover-child-pet.

your mother and her comadres are of another generation. they who believe the home is the natural place for a woman, who believe in phrases like maternal instincts and male provider. yes, they respect our warmth and beauty, but they recoil at our audacity. we who claim heart and mind and body, we who speak frankly of need and female desire, we who blur the lines of feminine and masculine. and who seek a partnership of equals.

but despite what they say, we are not cruel, bra-burning feministas unsuitable for marriage. on the contrary, we give good love and occasionally bust out the fancy lingerie to boot. we are the kind of women that will push you when you start to settle, the kind that will sustain your belief in yourself when it wavers, the women who will inspire you with our own example of flint and frailty. we are the women that smart men want to make happy out of something other than a sense of manhood, honor, or duty. and we demand a reciprocity that you better be prepared to offer.

we are the feministas, the women your mother feared you'd fall for, lest we refused to give her grandchildren. (and to be frank, dearest, your mother has no business setting claim to anyone's womb.) we are the feministas, the women who can change you.

Summer of Feminista is a project where Latinas are sharing what feminism means to them. Positive. Negative. Academic statements. Personal stories. Learn more or how you can join the Summer of Feminista. This is a project of Viva la Feminista. Link and quote, but do not repost without written permission.