How travel made me a feminist

The image of women around the world is diverse and full of nuances... just like the respect for their fundamental rights. Feminism is no longer just a fashionable movement, yet its demands are far from being met, no matter where we are on our small planet.

I felt compelled, for no particular reason, to talk about the women of the world. About us, about them, about me... There's no need to wait for > (or rather the International Women's Day) to shed light on the injustices and inequalities that persist globally.

A look back at feminism, its history, and above all, >, which began during a journey...

My first memory of gender discrimination comes from a family trip to Italy. I was about ten years old. We were staying at a farmer's house and experiencing some of their daily life.

One day, the farmer, taking a liking to my little brother, did him a great honor: he allowed him to sit at the controls of his tractor. Unthinkable! I was four years older than him, and yet I found myself, instead, invited to the activity >.

I was furious at this injustice! (A small consolation, I was not invited again for laundry duty after mistakenly confusing the soap bottle with the bleach one... Freudian slip?)

This childhood memory marked me deeply, for the injustice experienced through that farmer's non-invitation, negating my right as the elder, negating my presence... To him, I didn't even exist!

But, even more, my dismay was heightened by my parents' attitude, who were guardians and defenders of justice in my eyes as a child: they simply did nothing. They watched with amusement and pride as my little brother drove the orange tractor and told me I had to accept it. Say nothing... And smile. Because here, it's not our home. Here, things work differently.

Revelation, at the age of 10: elsewhere in the world, girls did not have the same rights as boys. Unacceptable! A scent of revolution hovered above my head: something must change! Over the years, my ideas matured (somewhat), but my childhood indignation remains the same.

Keeping a child's spirit means staying connected to the essentials and the values one cherishes. Respect. Justice. Fairness.

Those who know me may smile wryly while reading this article. They understand that it's a sensitive topic for me. Sensitive because it's important.

As a teenager, I couldn't stand watching Westerns with my family every Sunday night: those leading ladies > (to put it mildly) had the knack of exasperating me! Playing strong women, they were yet incapable of managing their own destinies. And in every Western, there's always that famous love scene (the peak of my annoyance during the film!), where our heroine is forcibly swept into the arms of the tall, handsome, strong hero, whom she pretends to resist for a few seconds (>) before ultimately succumbing to his kiss and transforming into a poor little thing in the strong arms of our kind hero. And loving him unconditionally.

Why am I telling you all this? Because the images we portray of women daily, through films, advertisements, magazines, and collective imagination... do not leave me indifferent. They shape our representations, unconsciously influence our perceptions... and reinforce inequalities and gender stereotypes.

On this topic, I invite you to watch this TED video that deeply impacted me when I discovered it: sexist jokes kill! And more recently, I discovered comedian Guillaume Meurice and his radio chronicle on France Inter, and I can only recommend that you listen to him, whether on topics related to feminism (like this one about women's rights or this one about sexism), racism, homophobia, the consumption of meat products... The series > is also interesting for the perspective > it offers on society. Or even the shocking immersive report on feminists from MadmoiZelle, featuring YouTuber (and actress, filmmaker, columnist, and author) Marion Seclin, who also created the video below: >.

I also invite you to check out the YouTube channel of Maud Bettina and Juliette Tresanini, >, including this video on the Women's Day.

Feminism is often criticized because of the pejorative image we continue to have of those women >... In short, it's just like during the suffragette era when they demanded the right to vote. But feminism is a historical movement that dates back far in time, with some even finding its roots in antiquity.

The goal of feminism is simple (well, in theory - even if, in theory, theory and practice are the same thing!):

Feminism aims to achieve political, economic, cultural, personal, social, and legal equality between women and men. This defense of women's rights plays out in both civil society and the private sphere, where the most entrenched and insidious representations of the role, place, and rights of women often lie.

In summary, feminism has experienced three major eras throughout time:

Personally, I believe that feminism shouldn't just be about the fight for women's rights. It should be a fight against all forms of sexism and inequality based on gender, regardless of gender or sexual identity (even though, let's agree, the most discriminated half of the planet are women). Aiming for a struggle for both sexes and their equality, not a war of the sexes. Because feminism is not a threat to men! Equality is not taking rights away from men, but adding to women's rights. Through feminism, we can fight against all gender stereotypes and inequalities. Because yes, feminism is not only for women; in fact, more and more men identify as feminists.

It often surprises, but men are also victims of the stereotypes that socially dictate what is acceptable/desirable/expected from each sex. I invite you to watch the documentary > that decodes the injunction of masculinity (>) propagated in our society and its impacts on how little boys grow and the men they become.

The ongoing evolution towards achieving gender equality is real... but the road ahead is still long!

Defending women's rights, promoting equality, fighting against injustices and discrimination... That still makes perfect sense! Despite some alarming figures and reports (I might discuss that in another article about the situation of women in the world), I like to think that there is hope, whether through signs of notable progress, initiatives, and mobilizations by some committed individuals... And let's not forget that not long ago (just a few decades), women's rights were still very different from those we have today.

In Belgium, it wasn't until 1948 that women gained the right to vote in legislative and provincial elections; and 1973 for a married woman to open a bank account without her husband! The Middle Ages are not so far away...

And what about you? Are you touched by the themes of justice and equity? Is the position of women around the world a topic that resonates with you? Any thoughts, inspirations, or experiences to share with us?

Other articles about women traveling:

Traveling as a woman: revelations!Traveling as a woman: in practice!How travel changed my relationship with my body

I discuss feminism on other sites and platforms, such as:

on the site Au Féminin: >and in the newspaper (both print and online) La Libre Belgique: >: The biggest dreams of women

Other articles on values that I hold dear:

Traveling differently, between trend and commitmentHow kayaking took us from Northern Ireland to PatagoniaTribute to a humanist