Unlike Gloria Steinem, I was a tomboy before I knew I was a feminist

“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”― Gloria SteinemGloria Steinem, feminist, activist and writer, who died Thursday, at the age of 92, had once said she became a feminist little late in life, somewhere in her mid 30s, and said she regretted the fact that she “joined the movement so late in my life”. That got me thinking, when did I realize I was a feminist? For that matter, when did you? Because the word “feminism” draws extreme reactions from people. At least, in my experience. I have an equal number of women friends who are feminists, as the number who always make it a point to declare they are not.Once a top Bollywood actress during a casual conversation had told me the same. “Oh, I’m not a feminist. There’s no need in this day and age.” This was about 15 years ago.