My family is off the boat Italian. Not the never-has-seen-Italy kind. The legit, born and raised in Italy kind and they have Italian culture deep in their soul.
When I was growing up.. the girls did things like cleaned off the kitchen table because I mean, boys don't do kitchen things. My brother took out the trash because well, girls don't take out the trash. I hated that. I hated that my role was very early on supposed to be that of the "woman role" (along w my sister) and my brothers role was immediately to follow in that of the "man role". I watched at a young age as women like my Mom, my Aunts, older female cousins.. worked in their husbands, dads, uncles pizza shops.. because when the pizza shops were first starting, they couldn't afford to hire too much help because they just didn't have the money to pay anyone. So these same women.. went to work.. 12 hour days.. with their husbands.. and took their kids along. So while they were assisting their husbands with things like answering phones, making food, cleaning tables, mopping floors.. they were also changing diapers, playing, kissing boo-boos, helping with homework. I saw them as Super Women. Wow. They really did it all. These same women who did it all.. went home.. and then did some more. They did laundry. They washed dishes. They scheduled appointments. They vacuumed. They put away clothes. They went to the grocery store. Literally, did it all. I watched as a lot of these women did it ALL and never asked for a thank you. Never asked for a break. I watched as some of them (my mom included) did get those things. They got thanks. They got gifts. They were appreciated. I also watched a lot of them not. I watched a lot of "you don't do enough". I watched a lot of women getting run to the ground. I didn't get it. I didn't understand why I could watch some of my boy cousins play video games for hours on end while I got asked to help set the dinner table. I didn't understand why those same cousins could come eat and then go right back to playing video games while I had to then clean off the table. I didn't understand why the boys could play outside in the dark but I had to come in before it got dark. Or why they could make jokes about girlfriends but I couldn't date until late high school. Or why I had to get good grades(obv not a bad thing) and they didn't. I didn't understand why I would be told to learn how to cook for my future husband. I didn't understand why comments were made to me about my weight and how I looked or dressed. I felt at a young age that men had it "easy" and had a "privileged" life... a life where I would never feel that way, no matter what I did because as a woman, nothing would be enough.
I have already been fighting so hard for this to not be what my daughters see. I want them to know in their hearts they can truly do anything and everything they want. They can be anyone they want to be. That marriage is a TEAM. That a relationship does not define them. Equality. They have choices. That they are enough.
Trump emulates everything that I hated in how I saw men. A guy who thinks he is above everyone else because he has money. A man who thinks women are here for the sole purpose of his wants and needs. He brings out the feeling I get at the thought of women not getting to make their own reproductive decisions. He brings out that feeling of rape being the womans fault if she was drunk. He brings out the feeling I get when I imagine how men look at women as objects. He brings out the feelings I get when I think of women being unappreciated.
I actually do not consider myself a democrat or a republican. I have beliefs that fall under both. I just really, truly, hate everything that Trump stands for.
(I would like to note that I am not a man hater lol. I have the best husband, ever. Like literally that has ever existed. Who regularly makes me feel happy and that I know appreciates me for what I bring to this family. A man who splits duties with me because we are in this life together. And another side note: things have changed over time as far as the cultural side of my family which is great and I am hopeful to continue to see a shift.)
I . Love. THIS. Post. YESSS!
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