Throughout the years, feminism and feminists have been had both positive and negative connotations. The term, feminism, does not seem to have a clear meaning because so many people interpret it through various viewpoints. Just as many people think of feminism as a faulty movement, I have my own perspective to share. I have my own thoughts about feminism and what it means to me. I realize that not everybody will agree with my opinion but that is fine because, just as I stated before, everybody interprets feminism in their own way. Expressing my attitude toward feminism is not meant to change or undermine your opinion, it is simply meant to present another perspective.
There have been many stereotypes that people have associated with feminism such as; feminists hate men, all feminists believe in the same exact thing, feminists are always angry, all feminists are women and the list of negative inferences continues from there. All of these are false and have been proven to be false. The fact that these stereotypes have continued to be incorporated with feminism is bothersome. The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of feminism is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” However, when I think of what feminism means to me, I’d like to go beyond that broad statement and go into detail.
Feminism can’t be determined by the equality of the sexes, it has to incorporate race as well. As a minority, I can’t accept feminism and only accept it in terms of being a woman. I need to represent my feminist views as a woman who is also a minority. When feminism was first established, it was represented by straight Caucasian women who wanted equal rights for women, excluding minorities and the LBGT community. This 19th century version of feminism is known as First Wave Feminism and it does not represent today’s definition of feminism. If I want equality as a feminist, then I believe that equality amongst everybody should be rooted within the definition. Feminism does not mean that I want women to be superior to men and it does not mean that I want to make more money than men. I want to be on an even playing field as all men and as well as Caucasian women. I want to be evenly matched with anybody and everybody.
Women should not feel inferior to men, ever. Women should not make less money than men who have the same occupation. Women should not make more money than men because the whole point of feminism is to incorporate civil rights, fairness, and impartiality. Women should not be ridiculed because they are working mothers and they should not be subjected to scrutiny because they want to be housewives. It’s the twenty-first century, women should have their own identity and freedom, just as men have their own.
I am not a radical feminist but I am a feminist who will speak out against the injustices that a feminist tries hard to eliminate. I know that not everybody wants to be a feminist and that not everybody will be a feminist but I hope after reading this article, it gives you a little bit of insight regarding feminism. As a feminist, I can only hope that more men and women would want to be feminists in order to move toward equality. I am not saying that everybody should share the same viewpoints that I have expressed, however, I want you to see what feminism means to me.