Fatherly Love: The Feminist Version

In our patriarchal society, fathers are taught that loving their daughters looks like control, like possessively sheltering them from the world.

However, Will Evans—through this potent spoken word poem—explains that his version of fatherly love is a practice of protecting his daughter’s agency and autonomy to dictate her own person and make her own choices.

He says, “the arsenal I gift my daughter / is to stay the fuck out of her way.” This is what feminist parenting looks like. This is how to be an ally and support system to your daughter.

I wish this for more children, for more parent’s, and for more people. These are the kind of family relationships that nurture empowerment, that combat misogyny and other forms of oppression, and that breed self-worth.



Please read the following Everyday Feminism articles to learn more about feminist parenting:

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William Evans is a writer, instructor and performer from Columbus, Ohio. As the founder of the Writing Wrongs Poetry Slam, William has created the largest weekly poetry open mic currently operating in the city. He released his first full-length manuscript, In the Event You are Caught Behind Enemy Lines in August 2009 on Penmanship Books. Previous to that, he released a chapbook, Humble Shell Casings on JK Publishing, as well as two poetry CDs: Living in the Hour Glass (2006) and Measure (2007). Currently, William Evans tours the country and facilitates writing workshops thru Projecting Murals, LLC (which he founded in 2009), a non-profit organization that connects facilities such as schools, community centers and correctional facilities to artists from the community. 

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