For The More Feminism – Looking Back On ‘POSTECH Feminism’
For The More Feminism – Looking Back On ‘POSTECH Feminism’
  • Jee Eun-kyoung (CHEM 12)
  • 승인 2018.03.28 12:56
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On a night in early April 2016, we met after a long interval and were sitting at a small bookstore, getting burden off my chest. As we were unpacking various stories from each other’s attention to the latest issue, the conversation turned into the sexual assault in the school. From unwanted physical contact we had when we were freshmen to being called a ‘broken’ woman after returning to school. The story was never over, and the theme of the story flew on the minorities women have had in the society and the discrimination has come. Everyone there was aware of the unjustified situation, but nobody could clearly answer ‘why’ and ‘how’ these things happened.


“Then, would you like to try Feminism studies together?” These words are just the beginning of the ‘POSTECH Feminism (POFE)’.


The first step was good, but everything after them was fraught. Feminism was just starting to be activated enough to be regarded as ‘reboot’ in the capital area, however, I was not sure it would be okay to talk about this in our male predominant and conservative school. I was anxious about disturbance, beyond all of that, I posted on SNS informing the start of POFE.


Even after gathering, it was far from easy. Coming together under the desire to study the feminism, but we did not know the way how to study as well as cannot define clearly. We read the concept book, prepared the presentation for the study. As we constantly modified our study methods to help each other, POFE slowly took shape as an academic meeting.


Over the past two years, the number of people who could barely fill a desk increased tenfold, and the number of books we studied together has increased significantly. We hold an open seminar with people from outside and progress on in-depth study. Late last year, we hold first menstrual cup discussion with social venture group Ease & More in the book store, we made a first step.


Though footprints are none worse for showing off, in fact, POFE’s biggest achievement is the ‘people’. We encounter minority hatred easily than we think in our daily lives. I had to keep quiet, but now, I have at least a chance to reveal frustration. Through POFE, it makes it possible to talk about feminism at ease and meet people who have a similar perspective.


Others could ask, what in the world feminism has given to you. Now I say, feminism was not so significant chance in my life. Having spent the whole self-established periods in girls’ school, I did not realize the gender of women was such a noticeable factor in society, and I was free to prejudice against ‘what women/men should be’. To me, the world full of gender discrimination and stereotypes that I encountered when I came to college at the age of 20 seemed strange.


It is changing my perspective as a feminist for people’s attitude. Women should be able to lead an equal life as human being. Since I met people who frown upon this, I got to know why feminism is needed. Talking about feminism has been a way to prove my life is not wrong. In contrast, through feminism, seeing friends who break free of the yoke of themselves and reclaim their own voice, I felt the need for feminism. What they had thought was their fault, in fact, was a tragic hotbed of misogyny. It was not all individuals’ fault. It’s a woman lost identity, and feminism were to blame.


Losing sense of subject, more feminism is needed to make all these reclaim the place and take a step toward equality. POFE will progress toward the place we can dream of true ‘us’, holding hands with solidarity.