When I was little, I used to play with fake makeup, my dolls (and I’d make them fall in love, of course),  and a big kitchen set. I also played with doctor toys, cars, and I tended to my stuffed animals like I was their vet. 

     When I was little, I was taught that I could be anything, and that was reflected through my toys. I could be as girly as I wanted to be and I also could BE anything I wanted to be- a doctor, an engineer, or even a vet. 

     Being a woman doesn’t mean that I had to pick and choose a side. But, a lot of people fail to consider this.

     On social media, there are many popular women who have a platform who are devoted to a life of neurosurgery. And they get praised – rightfully so. 

     There’s also been influential creators who cook, clean, and tend to their homes and their families. But usually, there’s some salty comments about their lifestyle – claiming that they’re “going back to the past,” or “too dependent.” 

    And usually, that’s not the case. Sure, there’s a handful who are weirdly obsessed with playing into the Cult of Domesticity, but most of the time, women are just housewives because they choose to be. That’s the whole point of feminism: To have that choice. 

     Whether a woman wants to be single, married, in love, not in love, a housewife, or whether she wants to work a job, be married and work a job, be single and work a job, or literally any combination… it’s valid. A lot of people think that feminism is just painted as women who hate love, cooking, cleaning, and just want to be independent. But that’s not its point; its point is to advocate for choice, no matter what it may be. 

     There was even an incident with celebrity Rachel Zegler, who is to play Snow White in the live action movie, when she stated that, “she’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.” This faced a lot of backlash, because many people saw the comment as if she was downplaying the idea that women can be in love, but also be a strong leader…As if being in love minimalized women’s potential to achieve leadership. 

  This is hardly the case.  At all. When I’m older, I want to be married and raise a family, but I also want a job and to be successful. I don’t have to pick and choose a side to be one thing or the other. And neither does anyone else. You wouldn’t shame a strong woman who’s devoted her life to surgery, so why would you shame a woman who’s devoted her life to caring for her family?