You know, its funny (well not really)...the narrow minds you meet growing up in a small town. I live in a rural area in western Pennsylvania. I grew up in a female-headed household (my father walked out on my mother, brother and I when I was four-years-old). I have always considered myself a feminist. In school I was always debating with others and writing research papers and writing speeches in public speaking about double-standards and the glass ceiling and such topics. I can’t count how many conversations I’ve had with my friends about my disagreements with their boyfriends. Now mind you, I am no “man-hating” woman. I just hated watching my friends belittle themselves for the sake of something petty.
So my friends and others labeled me as a feminist – like it was a bad thing! Many thought that being a feminist was synonymous with being a lesbian (which brings me to a completely different subject about this town’s ignorance). It is just odd to many of them that a girl can be independent, and have goals other than getting married, having children and raising a family. The ‘simple-life’ charm of this town can be endearing, but sometimes I feel like I’m stuck in the early 1950s.
