Translator: Alexandra Panzer
Reviewer: Marisa Aubin
Can you raise your hand
if you consider yourself a feminist?
Thank you.
I met this little girl
who was in the 5th grade,
and found out something very interesting
about her that opened my mind.
She likes playing soccer.
And I don't know if she's good or not,
but just the fact
that she likes playing it
makes me feel like she's accomplishing
something great for herself.
However, even though she loves soccer,
she doesn't play it at school because
she's scared of losing all of her friends.
After all, she's a girl, soccer's 
for boys. Girls can't play soccer.
I also heard about this little boy
who was in the library of his school,
and chose a book with a pink cover
about a princess.
When he was observing which type
of books his friends were getting,
he rapidly put the book back on the shelf
and got a book about a superhero.
He thought that if his friends saw him
getting that "girly book"
he would be bullied and teased
in front of everybody.
After all, he is a boy. Pink books
are for girls. Boys can't read pink books.
I am a feminist.
This is a statement
that may be shocking for many of you,
but that is probably because you may
not know what feminism really is.
Feminism is often seen
as a rebellion against men.
Feminists are men haters,
aggressive, isolated, 
unattractive women with hairy armpits.
My goal today is to change 
this mistaken idea of feminism
that you may have,
and that I once had.
I remember being in a classroom
with 30 students.
We were in a circle able to see
everybody's face,
when the teacher asked,
"Can you raise your hand
if you consider yourself a feminist?"
I didn't raise my hand.
No one did.
Yes, I was in favor of gender equality.
Yes, I got mad when men and women
were made to do things
just because of their gender,
but at the time I was thinking,
"I'm not a feminist, I shave my armpits."
I was scared of the word feminism.
I did not know its meaning,
I just knew whatever it was,
it wasn't me.
But I was wrong.
In many places, Feminism is defined
as the belief that men and women should
have equal rights and opportunities.
It is the theory of political, economic,
and social equality between the sexes.
This may mean something different
for everyone,
but for me, it just means that everybody
should deserve respect.
As Malala Yousafzai,
a 19-year-old Pakistani activist
for female education, once said,
"Feminism is just another 
word for equality."
So the truth is that everybody
can be a feminist, women and men.
Your physical appearance, interests,
behaviors, armpits,
none of these things can stop you
from being in favor of equality.
Many still ignorantly affirm that our 
society is not sexist anymore,
but how can they say that
when even common expressions 
carry sexist implications?
I would like you think 
about two expressions
that you have probably 
already heard before,
"act like a girl," and "act like a man."
When people say "act like a girl,"
"act like a lady," to you, a woman,
they often mean that you have to be sweet,
delicate, beautiful,
passive, weak, irrational, submissive.
When they say to you, men,
that you're "acting like a girl,"
they often mean that you're overreacting
to something,
being too sensitive about a subject,
being dumb, being stupid.
When people say, 
"act like a man," "man up,"
they often mean you have to be rational,
strong, powerful,
successful, and create order and rules.
Feminism is needed because women
can't wear anything they want
without being scared of being raped,
as if the clothes they wear were the cause
of their physical and mental aggression,
as if they were provoking 
their own assault
by wearing the things they want to wear.
Feminism is needed because boys who
don't do "boy things,"
who want to play with
dolls instead of cars,
who want to wear pink clothes
instead of blue ones, are bullied.
Feminism is needed because women
who don't shave are considered less woman,
as if hair wasn't something natural
from our human bodies.
Feminism is needed women are paid
less than man
for the same job position
in so many places.
Feminism is needed because we still
have meanings for "act like a girl"
and "act like a man."
Feminism is needed 
because girls can't play soccer.
Boys can't read pink books.
As we can see, our lovely 
sexist society still exists,
and we should all deserve fair treatment.
You may be asking, but what can we do
to fight sexism?
In my opinion, I believe that education
and information
are the remedy for any type of ignorance,
so gender equality should be something
that every school should talk about.
Having simple discussions about
the sexist society we live in,
or even analyzing how men and women
are portrayed in media
can be very powerful to open the minds
of those who don't realise how bad
our current situation is
and show them how much we can do
to change it.
In Australia, some high schools are
officializing feminism theory
as an elective course.
All around the world,
students and teachers are 
starting Feminist Clubs in their schools.
I dream about the day we will look
back and think,
"but why do we have to teach kids
about gender equality in schools?"
because everybody will be given
the same rights.
But for now, this is a step 
in the right direction.
But also, as we know, education 
doesn't come only from schools.
Open-minded families that 
accept their children to choose
what they want to play or read
are needed.
We need parents to educate their children
to not assault, to not bully, 
and to be tolerant.
Simple things like this, or even working
to stop speaking with sexist expressions,
are a huge step toward a better society.
So yes, I am a feminist.
I am a feminist because this is a movement
for so much more than just me.
We need everybody involved with this,
so feminism starts with you.
And I truly believe that we can do this.
Thank you very much.
