On this International Day of the Girl, two feminists share how their childhood experiences with gender stereotypes have shaped their feminism, their work—and indeed, who they are.

“When I started school as a child, I was bombarded with rules that my body had to follow.”

“I was 8 years old when I was punished at school for refusing to do needlework with the rest of the girls in my class and wanting to do carpentry like the boys. I was awful at needlework. I was dying to swing a hammer.”