To me, feminism means equal rights between men and women in all aspects of society. Is equality such a bad thing? Most people would say “no”, however, most women and men are scared to identify as feminists. Actress and renowned feminist activist Emma Watson offers one possible reason people fear the term: “the more I have spoken about feminism the more I have realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop.” This is a very important distinction to make about feminism: the goal is not to try and be better than men and resent them for the oppression of women but instead raise awareness of the inequality and work towards equality. Another misconception is that men cannot be feminists. This again is wrong. In fact, there are many male celebrities that identify as feminists such as John Legend, Seth Meyer, and Daniel Craig. John Legend has said, “All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights the world will be a better place. We are better off when women are empowered. It leads to a better society.” John Legend along with other famous male celebrities encourage men to help the feminist movement because in order for change to happen, we all have to work together!
Another important piece to the feminist movement— especially important to the third-wave feminist movement of which we are currently a part— is not just thinking of women through Western ideals but all women around the world. In many countries around the world, women aren’t allowed to get an education and are victims of genital mutilation. Just last year, around 303,000 women died during childbirth. This can be the result of a lack of access to contraceptives, therefore becoming pregnant too frequently, and poor birthing facilities. Every woman should have a right to an education, a right to her body, and a right to live. All of these problems can be fixed: the wage gap, uneven representation of women in politics, and body shaming in America. As Emma Watson would say, “It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals.”