The age of the feminist is here. As women, we see it all around us in our books, movies, even the music of our favorite artists. Although the female struggle for equality existed long before our time (and may continue to exist long after us), there has never been a better time to grab hold of our passions and rights as women.
The recent surge of the feminist movement has presented a unique opportunity for the media to deliver a positive social message. This message being, of course, that man and woman are equal. What can we take away from the sea of ideas rushing toward us when it comes to feminism?
Taking a closer look at feminism can help you find your place in the movement. The media is a direct representation of how a society functions. We have the choice to either promote or dismiss what the media hands us. The surge in strong female characters shows an improvement in the way women are being viewed in our society, as well as a cultural shift. The days of the helpless damsel in distress are dwindling.
The popularity of characters such as the fierce Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, the courageous Beatrice Prior in Divergent by Veronica Roth and the gutsy independent lead of Disney’s Brave show a desire for unapologetically powerful women in control of their fate. These characters exhibit multifaceted levels of personality (all while kicking butt I might add).
When negative media produces false images of the female body though editing (such as Photoshop, airbrushing, etc…) we are led to believe lies about how we should feel about our bodies and ourselves. In a similar way the opposite occurs when we see positive reinforcements of women following their dreams or simply representing what a healthy woman might look like. If you appreciate seeing real women in the media and the spread of a healthy body image you’ve already thought about feminism.
Can you imagine what it would look like to open a magazine and see a woman who wasn’t being presented as a sexual object? It’s time to start showing that women are more than just the bodies we inhabit. The importance of being in control of our sexuality, valuing ourselves, and refusing to be presented in a demeaning way has never been more valuable.
Beyond the spectrum of imaginary characters, we see real people whom we admire teaching us about this aspect of feminism. The first to come to mind for myself is Beyoncé. Queen B’s August 2014 performance for the VMAs wowed the world as she proved, yet again, that being a passionate, diligent woman with goals is to be admired.
Perhaps most enthralling were the words of fellow feminist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that echoed across the auditorium as she performed, which declared, “We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings the way that boys are. We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls ‘You can have ambition, but not too much’.” Beyoncé represents a person who is not afraid to be herself while demanding equality.
When we cut through the dizzying amount of representations of feminism, the underlying values stay the same. Women of different personalities, dreams, ethnicities, cultural norms, etc. all deserve to have rights equal to those of men. We may get caught up in the idea that some dreams are “more feminist” than others, but the truth is being equal means being free to choose whatever path our hearts desire.
It is not our job to judge others, but instead to lift each other up. Promote whatever helps us with this mission and reject what takes us backwards in the pursuit of total equality. Because one day the word feminism will refer to the practices of the average person and the word discrimination will refer to those stuck in the past.