Because if you can't say it on your own blog then where can you . . .

I am a feminist.

No qualifying statements. No ifs, ands or buts. No apologies. I am a feminist.

Before we delve any farther into what this post is about I just thought you should know. And honestly, it feels good to say it. Even if it's just floating out into the internet.

I am a feminist and articles like this upset me ...

Read the whole article if you have time. If you don't here's a summary. . .

Let "men" be "men".

Ok so there's a little more to it than that (but not much). It is an article written by a scientist, Dr. Louanne Brizendine, about her findings on differences in the male and female brain. Males have a larger "defend your turf" section in their brain, females have a larger "I feel what you feel" section in their brain and males have a sexual pursuit area in their brain that is 2.5x larger than a female's. She then uses that last scientific fact to justify what she calls a "Man Trance" (And here's where the train starts to derail for me. If nothing else just read this section of the article - Man Trance is in bold, can't miss it) For those of you who are at a loss as to what a man trance is, here's a direct quote, "that glazed-eye look a man gets when he sees breasts". She then goes on to explain that men cannot help this. It is natural and therefore cannot be stopped. They are biologically and innately driven to "check out the goods" (and yes that is another direct quote taken from her article) So of course, this leads to her explaining that when we(women) become offended or upset because our man is constantly, routinely, or occasionally looking at other women's breasts he becomes dismayed. He is not looking for another mate, she assures us, but simply being driven by that sexual pursuit section of his brain that is different than ours. Take it from her, "Men look at attractive women the way we look at pretty butterflies. They catch the male brain's attention for a second, but then they flit out of his mind."
Well, I certainly feel better don't you?
There's more to the article but this is the part that infuriates me so I'm just going to stop there.

I am not a scientist. I have not spent years studying the differences between the male and female brain and I do not know how legitimate (or not) her study is. I have read different commentaries and responses to this article and some back up her findings and some say that the study does not cover enough of a cross sample of different culture, gender, and social norms to be accurate. However, it is not the study's findings that I take issue with. I firmly believe that every single person has been molded by a loving creator and therefore believe that every single person's brain has been made differently so the fact that males and females have brain differences is not a shock or difficult for me to believe and get on board with. (I don't know that the sweeping generalizations she claims to be true are ones that I want to get behind without really doing some research but again I have no room to argue that at this point. I am a theater teacher, not a scientist.) My issue is with the way she presents her findings. She ends the article with this "The best advice I have for women is make peace with the male brain. Let men be men." Really? That's the best advice you have for me as a woman? My breasts = butterflies. Men are going to stare at them. It's natural. Deal with it.

No. Just no.

We, as human beings, with social and intellectual capabilities way beyond those of the animals that share our planet, have the ability to control our behavior. MEN HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONTROL THEIR BEHAVIOR. And yet, studies are conducted and reported that tell men, "You don't really have to control it. We understand you are weak-minded and incapable. Women will just learn to deal with it. They are much stronger and more adaptable anyways." Every male reading this statement just got angry and wrote me off as a man-hating feminist. Newsflash: I am married to a wonderful man who would be just as angry if he thought that I truly believed that. He knows that I expect more out of him than this article tells me to. I expect him to stand by his vows and promises to me no matter what scientists claim his brain is capable of. I do not think he (or the rest of the male population) is weak-minded or incapable. I know several men - my husband, my father, my brother and my father-in-law - just to name a few, who have been taught by people around them that women's bodies are not objects put on earth for their viewing pleasure alone. They have been taught that women are people who should be treated with decency and respect and not oogled like butterflies. Women are not your own personal barbie dolls. A lesson that I'm sure became much more real and important to both my father and my father-in-law when they had daughters of their own.

I understand that this Male vs. Female, Venus vs. Mars, Battle of the Sexes dilemma has been going on for quite some time now. In my experiences (the very same experiences that led me to become an active feminist) the studies and findings lead to the same general advice and are directed at the same group. Women are told about male tendencies and brain functions and then told how to adjust to them (see above article). Women are told what men like to see in a woman and how to replicate that (see almost any self-help book marketed towards women). Women are told about their tendencies and brain functions and then told how to alter them to be more approachable by men.

I am a feminist because this article is just one belief in a culture of many other similar beliefs that prove to me that we continue to live in a society that devalues women. I refuse to believe that a truly "post-feminist society" (that some claim we are in right now) would compare female breasts to butterflies in order to justify male behavior. I am not content with that and I will always stand against it. I will continue to instill value and importance into the high school girls I teach everyday. I will tell them it is not ok for a man or a boy to treat them as objects. I hope I am teaching them that it is more than ok to be strong and opinionated and to stand up for yourself and what you believe in. And if someday I have a daughter I hope that she will expect to be treated with respect AND as an equal because I will tell her everyday that she deserves it, just as my parents and many other people in my life did for me.