Aisling Bea's 5 Feminist Commandments

Hi, I'm Aisling Bea and these are my top five

feminist commandments.

Number one, feminism should be about all women.

So when you're thinking of creating safe places for women,

think of women who don't look like you,

who don't have the same background as you.

Religious creed, skin color,

come from the same country as you.

Until all women are equal, we're not really equal

and if you're not looking after all women,

depending on their different sexual backgrounds

or where they're from,

or what economic situation they're in,

then that's not really feminism, that's egotism.

Number two, hormones.

Hormones are absolute [censored]

and yours are probably individual

to your own, while at the same time

being quite like other people's.

There is no great white knight coming to save us,

and we are so behind in learning how hormones affect us

for good and for bad.

So do your research, look after your own, make a plan,

jot things down like a little murder mystery, Nancy Drew.

Hormones are the biggest thing

that are probably affecting you,

and no one's really putting any money

into working out how we can help women,

'cause, you know, women.

Number three is babies.

If you don't want one, that is totally fine

and a totally valid life choice.

People probably aren't going to totally understand that,

and that's just something you have to accept.

If you really want a baby and can't,

then that is a true and real grief,

and it's okay to be grieving.

If you have a baby, that is amazing

and it's not your only point on this Earth.

If you feel like it is the reason

that you were born to be on this Earth,

then that's amazing too,

but we have been given for too long this one picture

of what a successful female life looks like

and it's wrong, there are so many paths and avenues

for you to have a valid, great life,

and you all get to have your film with you as a lead in it.

Number four, money.

Talk about it.

It is difficult to talk about,

but it is the one thing that is holding women back so much.

Be honest about how much you're earning

with your colleagues, how much they're earning.

Ask for raises.

Ask how much a standard amount in your workplace should be.

Save, put money aside. Money is empowering.

Paying people and women in your workplace is empowering.

Having Go get 'em, girls on a tote bag or a t-shirt

is not empowering, being paid properly is.

Number five, She's difficult.

She's tricky.

She's not easy to work with.

She's mad.

I heard she's crazy.

If we keep gossiping about other women

with these words that seem to keep women from being employed

one day in a corridor somewhere,

someone will describe you as tricky,

as difficult to work with, as not easy,

and you'll feel the full weight of how awful that is.

Films and books have not been read

or made about women who were easy

and there is no access to healthcare

or rights that we have now that were helped

or fought for by easy women.

And so just be careful about using those words about women

because one day that woman could be you.

Number six, moisturize, moisturize.

Even if you have acne, you think you shouldn't moisturize,

you should moisturize.

Moisturize.