I was driven to write this article due to a conversation
with a friend stating that he is now a feminist. Now, I’ve never really classed
myself as a feminist, to be honest, I’ve never really looked into the subject. However,
for those of the more ignorant simpletons amongst us, with the desire to be
enlightened quickly, the answer may be to simply type ‘feminist’ into Google
images (or at least to get the general picture anyhow). One of the top results
describes a feminist as, and I quote “ an unshaven, militant vegan.” Well, I
can’t say I associate with any of that; maybe I’m not a feminist after all?
I’ve never agreed with
traditional gender roles, I haven’t been brought up to think so. For
example, I’m
sure my closest male friends are all fully aware of that - “ No mate I’m
fine
with the heavy bags”, however I’m also not stubborn enough to get
rotator cuff
damage, and in turn will also offer to take something to carry for them.
I don't do this to be degrading and to strip them of their masculinity, to me It’s
not necessary for a man to prove his masculinity and to be a ‘gentleman’. One of my own views has always been that I will never be treated unequally
because of my gender, which has always been drummed into me by my mother. I
remember coming home from school once and telling her, that a boy had a problem
with me playing with all the other boys because I was a girl. The first thing
she asked me was “is he short?” “well” I said “he’s shorter than me”. She
replied “ ah he has short man complex darling, don’t worry about it.” In other
words, she meant Napoleon syndrome, a psychological condition that can occur in
both men and women of short stature, in which they possess over-aggressive and
domineering personality traits, which is said to compensate for the inferiority
this persons feels due to their height. Well actually he was being a misogynistic
twat. Okay, maybe a little harsh, as even I didn’t even know what misogyny was
when I was 9, however at this stage he was already exhibiting sexist qualities,
which could possibly manifest in later life. This is where I think it is
crucial for parents to nip this kind of behavior in the bud at this early
stage , and it not to be overlooked as playful children’s behavior.
I’m
sure every woman has experienced misogyny at some point in her life, some to
more of an extent than others. I’m also positive that misogyny attracts some women
to have a more active and opinionated role in the feminist community, as one of
their main aims is to battle misogyny and encouraging more rights for women,
especially to those that have been exposed to this kind of treatment. These
kind feminists are often given the title ‘man haters’ (or something equally
derogatory) due to their strong-willed beliefs, as a result the impression some men get, is
that feminism is an exclusive, female only, man hating club. Especially to those that do not venture
further than the fact that the word feminism contains ‘fem’ . However certain
individuals could have exacerbated these connotations by anti-masculine
activism in the guise of feminism, therefore wronging the whole ideology and
principle of feminism. Even when
discussing this with friends and asking them if they are a feminist some say no
due to this portrayal.
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| Courtesy of elisabethlmurray.wordpress.com |
According
to Wikipedia (the fountain of all knowledge): “feminism is a
collection of movements and ideologies that share a common stated aim: to
define, establish, and defend equal political, economic, cultural, and social
rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for
women in education and employment.” With that in mind, I am a feminist,
actually who isn’t a feminist? This doesn’t discriminate between men or women,
it is an equal right.
It’s the 21st century, why is
feminism still a term?
What’s anti-feminist? Anti-feminists are
those who disagree with feminist ideology. But why? One argument is that men
and women are different physically, and therefore it is realistic to think that
men are more suited to different tasks than women. I think one of the most memorable
things I’ve ever been told on this subject is that “There will never be a
female U.S president, as it is such a powerful role; a woman is far too hormonal
to be a successful leader.” Or is it religion? Our interpretations from
religious writings that have lead to this perception i.e. Genesis 3:16: “Unto
the woman he said, I will greatly
multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth
children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” Or is the use of terms
such as “don’t be a girl” or “man up” still subconsciously allowing us to accept
that men and women each belong to certain roles in society ‘Gender difference’.
Using a quote from Emma
Watson’s UN Speech on Gender & Equality “It is time that we all see
gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals.” Not only will
this outlook be the foundation to promote feminism but also pioneers the
positive thinking towards issues such transgender acceptance, which has been in
recent news.
I’ll leave you with this:
Written by : Charlotte Lea
