Author’s Note: This article contains sensitive topics including domestic violence.
Feminism (noun): The advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes, according to the Oxford Dictionary.
For as long as I can remember, my sister has slowly introduced me to feminism. When I was in middle school, she got me a book called “Rad Women Worldwide” by Kate Schatz. The book tells the stories of women from around the world and their impacts. It’s an inspirational read, and I highly recommend it.
Afterwards, my sister would throw subtle things into my Christmas gifts every year. It was mostly stickers with feminist ideas on them, but it still made her point known. I’m not too sure she realizes that the Christmas gifts she sent to me inspired my further interest in feminism, but they did.
During my freshman year of college, I picked up women’s studies as a second major. With this, I have taken several classes that circle back to the roots of feminism. One of the most prominent classes with this theme was Women’s Studies 101, which I took in the spring of 2024. This class talked about intersectionality, feminist movements, and key feminist figures. My favorite part was when we watched “Barbie” (2023). Not only was this another chance to watch “Barbie”, but I got to piece together the feminist undertones I didn’t catch when I had watched it previously. It was both amazing and heartbreaking.
This class truly opened up my eyes to feminism and was a deciding factor in what feminist causes stick out to me the most. Every feminist cause out there is very important, don’t get me wrong. But there are three causes that catch my eye the most:
All Women Are Equal, No Matter What
This is the biggest cause I fight for. In the United States, women are not treated equally amongst themselves. This ties back to race, religious beliefs, age, political beliefs, transphobia, and homophobia. I see this on a daily basis, whether I’m at my job or I’m sitting in my history classes.
Women’s Rights
This is a big one for feminists. I have been silently fighting this fight since my senior year of high school. I vividly remember sitting in my accelerated government class the day after Roe vs. Wade was overturned. I was terrified. I didn’t know what was next. Would I lose my right to vote? Was my healthcare about to be taken away?
Since then, I have closely followed what was next for my rights.
Women Shouldn’t Be Silenced
Over the past six months or so, the song “Labour” by Paris Paloma has been popular. The song talks about how women shouldn’t fall to the command of men to please them. It’s an encouragement to escape if you fall into this situation. The line “It’s not an act of love if you make her” sticks out and really defines the motives of the song.
The number of women who are silenced when they try to escape situations like this, or worse, is alarming. The number of women who are turned away from police stations when attempting to report a domestic violence situation is heartbreaking. It needs to end.