Lucy create your own adventure

what is one social/politically issue that you are passionate about? how did you first come to realize your passion for the issue? what is your objective for this issue?

what is one socially taboo that you think is unjustified? how do you think it came about? why did it become frowned upon? alternatively, what is a widely held belief or custom that you find strange?

do you feel like you are treated differently because you are a teenager? if so, is this treatment positive or negative? give specific examples of this treatment and how it has helped or hurt you.

As has been evident in class discussions, I have a special place in my heart for feminism and gender based discrimination. I feel an intense passion for all work surrounding the demolition of traditional gender roles and their limiting qualities. I don't have a very specific instance of the ignition of this passion, but I can say that as someone who was always surrounded by more boys than girls, I was often told by teachers and my friends that some things were girl things and other things were boy things. At home I had equal access to Legos as to barbies, but at school I felt like there was a definitive line drawn between what was for girls and what was for boys. I was always complimented on how pretty or sweet I was while my brother was complimented on his bravery and sense of humor. As I grew older and became more self aware, I began to realize that extent to which we as a society stick to these gender roles. As was always expected of them, it appeared that men made the money and women had the babies. As a precocious kid this seemed unfair to me. I didn't want babies, I wanted a career, a degree, a reputation for being driven, for being smart, not for being pretty or a good mom. Women in our society are so used to these roles that many of them don't even realize the issue. But, there is a clear issue in that the social status of a woman  is often measured by her looks while the status of a man is often measure in his worth in money. This is so obvious in how we treat female actors like Emma Watson who delivered a speech at the UN. After this speech, most media outlets out a heavy focus not on what she said, but on what she wore and who did her makeup. When I make a stand about something I want the conversation to be about what I say and what I do, not about how I look and what I wear.