In case you were not aware of what the 19th amendment is, I will paint you the picture a history teacher gave me. Write the number 19, and give that nine a ponytail and a smiley face. What you’re looking at is a visual representation of the amendment that gave women the right to vote. In these modern times the word “feminist” is looked as a negative label, something that means believing in radical bra burning. But there is a small movement in the media that I’ve noticed that have helped move the millennial towards accepting the word of feminism.
The middle ground is feminism, which you can hear in the Beyoncé song “Flawless” is the belief of political, social, and economic equality. I do not think it was a coincidence that the performance of “Flawless” with FEMINISM for everyone two days before Women’s Equality Day. She was not scared to be a strong woman, yet soft with her family. What Beyoncé is doing by not being afraid of the label is bringing awareness and bettering the life of all young girls in the future, Blue Ivy included.
Feminism doesn’t stop there in the modern media, take the popular and hard not to quote movie Mean Girls. Behind the layers of satire of women being pitted against women, is the message of feminism quirks. The main character’s name “Cady” comes from Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a leading figure in the suffragist movement that helped women gain the right to vote through the 19th amendment. If you watch Mean Girls again any time soon, you will see the messages that Fey has also not so subtly left behind.
The movie is a great talking point on the truths of bullying, in a cheeky way. Our main character Cady comments that being mean, especially to girls, doesn’t get anyone anywhere in the real world. The movie is also a good commentary on the inaccuracies of what people think feminism is as Gretchen eloquently puts that one of the basic rules of feminism is to not date friend’s ex-boyfriends. While also addressing the issues of sexual objectification of costumes for Halloween, being able to be brains and beauty, and the importance of being who you are.
Since 1971, National Women’s Equality Day has been proclaimed every year by the President of the US to commemorate the suffrage movement that helped women gain the right to vote and created the beginnings of feminism. A belief in the sociological, economic, and political equality of the sexes, not as confusing or as hateful as people tend to make feminism to be. The day has passed but Happy Women’s Equality Day, and enjoy being flawless feminists.