THIS Is What a Feminist Looks Like

This installment of GoldnI The Angry Feminist comes in response to the latest "Feminisms" diary on Daily Kos. The message of this diary was that we as feminists ought to "put down the makeup and step away from the mirror".

Stop right there. Our reproductive rights are under attack. Women are still earning less than men for equal work. You have young girls in Africa and the Middle East being sexually mutilated every day, and women in those countries denied political freedom. Domestic abuse, rape, I could go on.

You're telling me that MAKEUP is a critical feminist issue? And that wearing makeup and liking things like nice shoes and handbags somehow makes you less of a feminist?

I understand the point about catering to a "chauvnistic worldview". But I don't wear makeup and stilettos to impress guys. I do it because, well, I like to. It's my choice.

I wear heels because I'm 5'4, and I hope you won't hold it against me that I don't always like being short. And they don't have to be uncomfortable, I've owned heels that I could wear all day and flats that hurt like hell.

And I like cosmetics. Putting a nice moisturizer on your face feels a lot better than having dry skin. I have a short attention span, so I enjoy changing up my appearance. I don't let it consume me, but I'm not going to deny that putting on mascara and batting my eyes doesn't give me a boost in the morning.

To me, this argument cuts to a deeper issue. There's this assumption that it has to be one or the other. You're either a "true" feminist who's "real", or you're a fake bimbo.

I remember going to the March for Women's Lives in Washington in 2004. All throughout, people kept yelling "What does a feminist look like?" and we all answered back "This is what a feminist looks like". I was there with my mother, and I'm quite sure that she reminded me to put on lip gloss before we left the hotel that morning.

There's no reason a feminist can't look like a young woman wearing high heels, a dress, and DiorShow mascara. Feminism is about choice, and about not trashing other women for their choices.