From Smith to Sternlady

My mom says she's gonna write a book someday and call it "From Smith to Sternlady." I think it's kind of an ironic title, because you would think that it would be the opposite. I never thought I would find myself pawing through bait all day again after graduating cum laude from Smith College. And yet there is something incredibly empowering about both of these experiences. At Smith I was immersed in radical feminism for four years. On the boat I am immersed in masculine fishing culture every day. Completely different experiences on opposite ends of the gender spectrum, yet they both make me proud to be a woman.

Sometimes I think that I was drawn to Smith because it is so different from the community in which I was raised. It is the most diverse environment that I've ever experienced. Smith represents a broad range of race, sexual orientation, and political views. And the best part about it is that no one is afraid to voice their opinions, even if they don't agree on a topic. I learned a ton from my experience immersed in such a diverse culture.

When I talk about Smith to locals around here they often have an unfavorable reaction to their ideas of the college. They think of it as a freefrawl of radical, man-hating, gay, self-righteous feminists. While Smith is no doubt an extreme example of feminism, it is difficult for me to explain that not all feminists are angry bitches who despise men. I consider myself a feminist, yet I don't hate men and I don't consider myself an angry woman. In my opinion, feminism is the belief that men and women are equals and should be treated as such.

I am aware of being a female at some point every day on the boat. I am empowered by the fact that I am physically and mentally capable of performing this work. I realize that I still have physical limitations. For example, I am not able to lift the same weight as my ex-boyfriend, a shrimp dragger who is twice my weight and, probably, twice my muscle mass. However, I do work to the absolute best of my ability and this is satisfying. After the first summer that I lobstered, my father told me that he was convinced that I could do anything that I set my mind to and he's right. It's all in the mind. If you think you can, then you can.

A fisherman told me that I'm the only woman that he knows of on the peninsula who's shrimping. I'm strangely aware of that when I'm in the harbors with other fishermen around. Yet, on the boat with Cap, I often forget that I'm female. I guess that's because we treat eachother as equals, regardless of gender. This, in my opinion, is how it should be.