Shiksa is a Yiddish word that represents a Gentile woman. It comes from a Hebrew word meaning abomination. Basically, it's that girl who is morally flawed and embraces all types of things that are no-no's in the traditional world. In conjunction with Feminista it really means, "Yes I am a new-aged woman, yes I do have morals, and yes the first on my list is the preservation of free thought, free speech, and the empowerment of women".
I wish I had made up the phrase Shiksa Feminista on my own, because I’d feel really smart. But I didn’t. I heard it on a TV show and thought it had a good ring to it so I looked it up.
Either way, it’s pretty much my world view.
I know what you’re thinking: great, another crazy woman wanting to take over the world and burn bras in public demonstration. Absolutely not. In fact, I like my bras. Taking over the world would be fun, but that has nothing to do with my femininity whatsoever.
I grew up in a very traditional household. Well, not completely. I live with my aunt and uncle and their two kids after my mother passed away and my father completely dropped the ball. But they were traditional. My aunt stayed home while my uncle worked. We went to Church every Sunday. On special occasions girls wore dresses and tights. The girls were responsible for making and cleaning up after dinner and the boys were responsible for taking out the trash and whatever needed to fixed around the house. About midway through high school I started to question why my aunt didn’t work when she had the bachelor’s degree and my uncle didn’t, why the men always lead the prayers on Sundays, why guys could be comfortable in pants on a snowy day and girls had to freeze their, well, their legs off, why my sister and I had to help cook she only bakes and I am only halfway decent with Ramen.
Of course bringing up these concerns to my parents would have practically been suicide, so I talked to my advisor at school and she recommended I take a Social Action course just to get an outside perspective. This ended up being one of the best classes in my entire high school career. We explored ideas of social justice in terms of race, religion, class, and sex. Every day this little nerd of a girl was in her glory.
It’s probably no surprise, then, when I tell you I’m now taking a women’s studies. I absolutely love it, but I want to make feminism my lifestyle, not just my world view. I've come to learn that Feminism isn't one giant She Woman Man Hater's Club; it's about social equality. Equality among the sexes, I believe, is the first step in naturalizing tolerance in the other areas of difference of our lives.
I hope this blog challenges ideas. I hope it makes you think. I hope it makes you more open minded.
I hope this blog challenges ideas. I hope it makes you think. I hope it makes you more open minded.
--Rachael
