Alice in feminist land

Yesterday I went to see Alice in Wonderland with my son, my daughter from another mother, and her mother.  I couldn't have asked for better company.

Alice in Wonderland was a story about feminism. Alice keeps being told she is the 'Wrong Alice' and she doesn't even know if she is the right or wrong Alice herself.  Until she finds her 'muchness' - which she somehow managed to lose some time ago.  In the end, when she finds her muchness, she realises that she was the right Alice all along.  She then tells everyone what she really thinks of them. Simple.

I'm a bit of a crap feminist.  At 30 I still try to act cute and girly, and sometimes a little pathetic, to get my own way.  I hate things like 'womens day' and 'womens awards' and 'women-only shortlists' just for the sake of it.  I don't want some stuffy fuddy-duddy woman to get ahead just because she's female.  Do I want to be looked after by a man?  Hell yeah! Would I really like it though?  Errrmm, yeah, sometimes I wouldn't mind it actually.  Feminists would hate me I'm sure.  But to me feminism is just about being able to be yourself. And being happy with who that is.  That's it.  If it wins me any points (although I don't think it does) I think a lot of men are pretty shit.  Particularly the ones who try to stop you from being happy with yourself.  The ones who somehow make you lose your muchness without you even realising it.  Because your muchness is what makes you who you are. Your muchness gives you the confidence to tell everyone exactly what you think of them.  Well, in your head anyway.

When I hear stories about men who have been vile though I always wonder how it happened.  How did they get like that?  These men all had mothers right?  So where did they go wrong?  And maybe that's the thing. Whether we have it all, or even want it all, we still somehow feel responsible for it all. Responsibility isn't something you can really delegate easily.  And sometimes it can be overwhelming. Sometimes feeling responsible for everything and forgetting about yourself can make you lose your muchness without even realising it.  I don't know what the answer is.  I don't know who will listen. Because it seems it's often not until you re-discover your muchness that you realize it was ever lost...

Maybe things like Women's Day aren't so bad...I'm just concerned that there aren't enough awards to go round....