Cunt: A Declaration of Independence Book

Upon finishing Cunt: A Declaration of Independence, I've arrived at a surprising conclusion: I've been a feminist for years and I was quite possibly the last one to know about it.

This book to me was just a big pleasant surprise. Probably the most interesting result of reading it was coming to the realization that I clearly had a pretty limited picture of what feminism was really about. I viewed feminists in general as people who were very aggressive, pretty anti-male all around, and who were always running their mouths about something we probably could all do without hearing. I attribute this attitude partially to growing up and living in the area that I do. I say this because I've grown up thinking this. I've grown up with people rolling their eyes at any female that dared to "mouth off" in public, or even in private for that matter. I've had friends deliberately stifle themselves because they didn't want to come off as anything resembling a feminist. It's largely viewed as women who have nothing better to do with their lives than whine and complain about something and draw attention to themselves.

As I read this book I noticed that yes, the aggressiveness is indeed part of it. Yes, being against a male dominated society is a part of it. And yes, complaining about something and drawing attention to a situation is part of it as well. But in the bigger picture, it's about standing up for yourself. It's about having enough love and respect for yourself to stand up for yourself. It's a very powerful and very positive thing. It's about being active in your beliefs and helping to support others that need support. It's about keeping your eyes open, your mind sharp, and being aware of your surroundings, locally and globally. It's about finding your voice and speaking up and drawing attention to issues that need to be dealt with rather than swept under the rug.

This book deals with women's issues, from the female anatomy, menstruation, orgasms, abortion, rape, power struggles and more. It sheds some light on issues that I was just totally complacent about and/or unaware of until I read the author's take, such as the taboo of menstruation and how we're taught it's some unnatural, unsanitary thing that we're not supposed to discuss openly for fear of making the opposite gender the slightest bit uncomfortable. Maybe it wouldn't be such an issue if men were taught more about women from the start. Such as, say, including both genders in the sex ed. classes instead of separating them into 'boys' and 'girls' groups. I have no idea how sex education is approached now days, but for me we were split into the two groups under the premise of 'it's more comfortable for the students'. Maybe it is. But the more I think about it now, the more I think that type of thing does a disservice to both genders. It seems to help along the 'ew, gross' attitude guys grow up with when it comes to certain aspects of the female body.

The book also has an interesting take on a word that many are either uncomfortable with or totally opposed to. For the record, this word has never bothered me as much as a lot of other people. After reading more about it, it bothers me even less.

I personally think everyone should read this book, and yes, that includes the men of the world. Be forewarned, there are a couple of chapters that will likely make you uncomfortable, but it'd be good for you to learn more about what it's like for us. I also think it should be mandatory for every woman around to read this book. I had trouble reading the abortion section because that's such a touchy subject with me, but I read it anyway and I'm glad I did.

If you let it, this book will bring a tremendous amount of enlightenment, empowerment, and freedom into your life, and hopefully a new sense of understanding and empathy towards women and what we have to deal with. It's certainly opened my eyes and aroused my curiosity on a whole new interest.