Kerry Jacobi | Broad Perspective

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“I am a feminist because…”

“Women still make less then men for the same jobs, there are still too few women in executive positions, rape is becoming the de facto weapon of war, female genital mutilation is still practiced, abortion services are still threatened.....and because there is still a Miss America Pageant.”

It was during her undergraduate education at an all-women’s college in New York that Kerry had a “feminist awakening” to the political and social constraints on women. Kerry moved to Birmingham three years ago to work as the Director of Operations at a Medical Software Company.

Tell me more about your "feminist awakening." I went to a private women's college in New York. It allowed the freedom to talk and discuss, and learn in a way that was more beneficial than a coeducational experience. When there are guys in the room, there's sexual tension. I was very shy and intimidated.

Who influenced your point of view most? My mom, many of my professors: independent, intellectual women. The program director of my Master's opened my eyes.

What does feminsm mean to you? Just asserting your perfect right to live the way that human beings really should be able to live.

What bothers you most about the Miss American pageant? It glorifies the notion that women are solely a function of their appearance. It glorifies trivialities. Women are patted on the head. "Oh, you learned how to roll your hair." It encourages women to think of appearance, rather than abilities. It's disturbing. There's no Mr. Man pageant. They're taken more seriously.