In light of the inspiring UN Women’s He for She campaign brought to light by the magnificent Emma Watson, I wondered if this would help guide people towards a cohesive view on what the modern feminist movement is. The earlier movements had a clear message, either suffrage or the right for women to work. Now, women can do all these things, so what feminists are trying to accomplish isn’t as clear cut. Terms like “Femi-nazi” and images or man-hating bra burners distract from the majority of what feminists are about. Extremists can be found anywhere and they don’t warrant attention. So I asked some people around campus what feminism means to them and was pleased to find some solidarity.
Kelsey Tyler, Freshman
“Gender equality and equal pay. There was this TED talk about how women have been conditioned to be less assertive because they get called ‘bossy’ instead of the ‘boss’.”
Trâm Hoang, Sophomore
“Gender equality. We’ve never had a female president in Vietnam either. But my mom is a professor of economics at a college.”
Mady Dalley, Sophomore
“It’s about believing in equal rights for all people. It means not putting men above women, especially in wages.”
Vincent Ninh, Junior
“The quest to eliminate the gap between men and women that has been instilled by society over thousands of years, and to provide equal rights for everyone.”
Emma Phelps, Junior
“Equality for everyone. It can never be seen as one sex above another. It calls for something different in my opinion. Now it’s about making people equal not about winning rights, but moving for equality in a mutual sense.”
In her speech, Emma urges men to join the movement, because equality can’t be reached if only women are fighting for it. Equality concerns everyone. There’s no need to shy away from the word ‘feminist’ anymore.
Emma Watson UN Speech: