I WAS SEVEN when my mother enrolled me in a karate class. There were 50 boys and I was to be the only girl. When I complained that girls didn’t do karate, she said there was no activity or job meant solely for boys — or for girls. I went on to become a lover of not just martial arts but also of gender equality.
Of course, as the only child in an upper middle class, educated family, I never confronted the larger problems of discrimination faced by many others. The ones I did see troubled me tremendously. I did not identify as a feminist until I turned 16 but long before that, I was quick to point out (loudly and vociferously) any sexist difference or discrimination that I perceived. I also rejected everything that was ‘feminine’, considering it something imposed by society. I hated needlework classes, preferred the games lesson instead. I didn’t just pretend to enjoy the ‘masculine’ activities; I actually liked them but there definitely was a desire to not get involved with ‘the other girls’. I rarely wore skirts or dresses and while my peers were trying on make-up for the first time, I was falling off my bicycle or skates.
