My feminist awakening came from a woman who grew up in a small rural village in Hunan. She suffered from gender discrimination and endured countless psychological wounds. I once read the words she wrote — filled with sorrow, yet brimming with strength.
Later, she met her current husband. They had only known each other for two months when they flew to the U.S. and got married at a courthouse, without posting a single thing on social media. Her husband holds a PhD in computer science from UIUC, and I’ve seen his photos — he is incredibly handsome.
She, on the other hand, would be considered “very average” by mainstream beauty standards — not conventionally attractive. But I truly, deeply believe she is beautiful. So full of life.
She used to have a large following on social media. It was through her writing that I learned her story, and through her writing that I was introduced to feminism.
Only then did I begin to realize how many things I myself had gone through.
I’ve been sexually assaulted.
When I was a content creator on Xiaohongshu, I was attacked by at least a thousand Chinese men with online abuse and slut-shaming.
And there were many more awful experiences.
I used to be full of self-doubt and hypersensitivity, constantly afraid of upsetting others.
But today, I suddenly feel like I am growing new flesh and blood at a terrifying speed.
I’ve become so sharp, so aggressive — even when I face waves of hate.
I thought of the Italian film C’è ancora domani, and I finally realized:
According to the Italian Civil Code of 1942:
1. The husband was the legal head of the family; the wife couldn’t work without his permission.
2. A wife who committed adultery could be imprisoned; a husband would only be convicted if he slept with another man’s wife.
3. If a wife injured her husband, she could be jailed for months or even years, depending on the severity — but the husband’s violence against his wife was often dismissed as “correction.”
4. Divorce was illegal in Italy until 1974.
It hit me that women across the world have always gone through the same things.
Idk if becoming this aggressive is good or bad for me.
All I know is: I want to keep fighting until every one of my wounds has been healed.
That woman who inspired me has now been living in the U.S. for four years. For three of those years, she hasn’t worked — she’s simply enjoyed life.
Now, she only shares bits of her life with her husband, her dog, her cat, and her friends.
Her life has finally stepped onto the path of love.
I wonder if one day, I’ll get to that place too.