Hermione Granger

With my love of Harry Potter, it is no surprise that I have a post pertaining to the Harry Potter series. This series literally changed my life. I remember the first book came out when I was in first grade and I immediately saw myself in Hermione Granger. For those who might not be familiar with this fantastic series, Hermione is a brunette, frizzy haired, scholastic genius. I have always enjoyed learning, have been frizzy haired, and have always been brunette. I loved finding a kindred spirit, even if it was in a fictional series. With her to aspire to, I pursued an academic career. This academic career was not quite as big dollar or as fancy of an education as Emma Watson accomplished, but it was one that a farm girl from the middle of nowhere could accomplish. I've always been encouraged to accomplish my goals, which is interesting considering the stigma that people have about small towns. I never once had a high school teacher tell me that I couldn't accomplish something just because I am female. I thought that feminism was stupid because I was treated as an equal in my small town. If I ever fell short it wasn't because I was a girl, it was because I a) hadn't put the time in, b) hadn't quite figured it out yet, or c) hadn't worked hard enough. I am so grateful to my childhood for providing that. My father didn't go easy on me just because I was a girl and I learned powerful life lessons from that. So why am I no longer content with how I am treated?

My frustration with my gender didn't happen until this year. Although the composition of males to females in my science based field is about equal, I know that a few of my peers don't see me as such. Their "jokes" have hurt. Joking about the only way I, as a female, could ever accomplish an A on an exam is to sleep with the professor is not funny to me. However, when I voice my opinion I become a "typical female" and "why do you have to be so defensive." The reason this frustrates me, even though it is a "joke", is not just because my abilities have been belittled, but I am in the wrong for standing up for myself. What. On. Earth. I feel like I might as well be called a Mudblood. I can't change my combination of X chromosomes, but you ridicule me over a genetic code that I have no control over. After multiple (as in this is not a one time event) offenses of being ridiculed in my academic studies, I can understand why women dumb themselves down. The hurt I felt from those comments was discouraging, but lit a fire inside of me. I have never taken a woman studies class. I have never considered myself a feminist, but as long as we are belittling each other like this there will be feminist. I don't consider myself as above a man and I never will. I don't demand legislative changes. I'm asking for a more authentic change. I don't want men to be legislated into respecting my academic abilities, my body, my agency to choose, or any other type of legislation out there. I want them to respect me because they have heard me and seen me for who I am. I feel this goes the other way as well, although I don't know because I am not male. I think that we as women should also stand up for men not because of legislation, but because of a deep respect for each other.

That is why I have chosen to voice my opinion on this. I can't ask for respect if I never voice that I desire respect. I don't want the undeserved kind of respect, but just the basic human decency of being treated like what I accomplish is important and has been achieved through my own efforts and not by dumbing myself down. Which my childhood fictional hero, Hermione Granger, definitely understood.