BY Sheena Dela Cruz, MARCH 2024

I once thought, being a feminist is the best thing that I could be associated with and it is a single ideology in social, economic and political equality of the sexes. As my mother always taught me, being a strong independent person she is, be independent, make your way into the world, strong and without a hint of weakness. Meaning, don’t be such a girl. 

Growing up, I took that message to heart. I wanted to be tough and independent, steering clear of anything remotely girly. But there were times I felt guilty for wanting comfort or support, fearing I’d disappoint my mom. I mean, who wants to go against mom’s advice, right? 

And then one day, as I was scrolling through Facebook, I came across this article, Roxane Gay: the bad feminist manifesto. It not only caught my fingers, but also my mind and eyes. I think I have read a mind-boggling article of my life.  

It made me realize that being a feminist doesn’t mean fitting into a cookie-cutter mold. It’s totally fine to embrace pink or enjoy things that might not fit the traditional feminist image. If I have the opportunity, I’d love to take care of my kid and my household without needing to work, and as Roxane said, “I consider certain domestic tasks as gendered, mostly all in my favour because I don’t care for chores – lawn care, bug killing and trash removal, for example, are men’s work.” 

Maybe I don’t fit the conventional mold of a feminist, but I’m all about fighting for what’s right. I’ve got strong opinions on stuff like misogyny, body image, and women’s rights. And you better believe I’m not about to settle for anything less than equality. 

But no matter what kind of feminist I am, I cannot deny the importance of standing on your principles. Like most people, I’m ironic and full of contradictions. But I also do not want to be treated less of a person because I’m a woman. I’m a different kind of feminist, and that’s okay. 

RRL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/02/bad-feminist-roxane-gay-extract 

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