#MyWord: The freedom to be

I have never considered myself a feminist.

There, I’ve said it.

But I believe so much of what embodies feminism. So how am I not a feminist?

Perhaps it’s the label that I do not want to embrace. Being put into a box. Being grouped with a bunch of people who may or may not believe in what I believe. Or who might not want what I want.

All I want is to be happy. And to be free to create and enjoy my own happiness. And I would love for other women to be happy. And free to be free to create and enjoy their own happiness. But what if another woman’s idea of freedom and happiness doesn’t match my idea of freedom and happiness?

What if what I consider bondage or misery is actually all another woman could want. Does that mean I am more enlightened or more privileged?

And what if someone looks at my life and refuses to live the way that I do? Because what I have accepted or embraced is below their standards or ambitions? Or what to me is freedom and happiness is actually bondage and misery to them?

But does all that matter? Must we all want the same things?

As women, we all have one thing in common. We are women and we can never run away from that. Even if we reject everything that is feminine, we will always be who we are.

What makes the difference in freedom and happiness is whether you embrace or reject who you are. Whether you have the freedom to dream of who you want to be. And whether you have been granted the freedom to pursue it.

Christine Koech, Editor, Eve