Before reading this article, if you are unsure about whether or not you are a feminist please take this quiz.
Do the results surprise you? If they do then it is important to go over the definition of feminism.
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of a feminist is as follows:fem·i·nism noun \ˈfe-mə-ˌni-zəm\: the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities
Yet somehow that one word, the “F-word”, has been historically and culturally twisted to mean something almost entirely different. Feminists have been labeled everything from man-haters to bra-burners to FemiNazis. But the fact of the matter is, a true feminist doesn’t hate men or want only women to rule the world. We don’t even want to burn our bras (those are expensive.) In actuality, most feminists are feminists because they believe in the equality of the genders. This does not mean putting down a gender in order to favor another, rather it means that we are asking for a society where men and women are seen as equals. And sadly, that is not the society we live in today.
If it were equal, we wouldn’t continue to have issues such as the wage gap where women make 78% of what their equally-qualified male counterparts are paid. Sexual assault wouldn’t be as prevelant: in today’s society, 1 out of every 6 American women will become the victim of an attempted or completed rape. That statistic is even worse for higher education institutions (such as American University), where a drastic 1 in 4 college women report surviving rape or attempted rape at some point in their lifetime. Not to mention the huge rape culture we have in the military, where a woman serving in Iraq or Afghanistan is more likely to be raped by a fellow service member than to be killed in the line of fire.
Yet, all of this considered, speaking up for women’s equality is still seen as an attack against men.
So, let’s rethink this for a second. Feminism is this radical idea that women are human too. In the words of Gloria Steinem, “A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.” If that is what this movement is all about then why is there such a negative label surrounding the term “feminism”? The hesitation isn’t just with men; even many women won’t own up to the stigmatized word, and instead call themselves “humanists” or say that they aren’t feminists because they “love men.” This argument is flawed, because you can be a feminist while also loving men and desiring respect for all humans.
To put this in a different perspective, if you support gay rights, that doesn’t mean that you’re against the rights of straight people. The same goes for feminism. If you support women, this doesn’t mean you are against men. All genders deserve to be treated with respect, fairness and acceptance and that is all the feminist movement is asking for. It is a movement for everyone: men, women, white, black, Hispanic, Christians, Muslims, straight, gay–you name it.
If you support equal rights for women, you are a feminist. That’s it. However, many of us are afraid to scream that “F-word” loud and proud because doing so would mean that you never shave your armpits or that you’re a crazed lesbian who hates men.
Let’s toss away that fear, scream it loud and forget the stereotypes because without this movement we still have a long way to go till the end of the wage gap, rape culture, catcalling, slut shaming and more. Take into consideration what J.K. Rowling once said, “Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself.” So instead of being fearful of the movement-which-shall-not-be-named, try doing some research and figure out where you actually stand in the feminist movement, because it might not be as radical of an idea as you might think.
Still confused? Here is a video by Laci Green, a sex education activist, about why she is a feminist.