Occasionally I see a post or two where women claim they don't need feminism. Usually, I ignore it or laugh. But recently, on this very website, I have read two completely horrific articles. The first article can be found here, and the second one here.

So here it goes,

Dear Girls Who Don't Think We Need Feminism,

First of all, I feel sorry for you. Sorry that you have grown up to believe that you do not deserve equal rights. The first article is titled, "I Am Not A Feminist And That Is Okay." Said article is quoted saying, "I don’t want the things that these feminists are fighting for." Which part don't you want? Equal pay, equal rights, the rights to affordable and safe abortions and birth control, cancer prevention screenings, equal opportunity in education and the workplace, or the help for sexual assault and domestic violence victims?

"How could you not be nurturing after carrying a child inside of you for nine months?" Okay, real feminists accept ALL women and ALL of their choices and lifestyles. If you want to be a stay at home mom that is your choice and right, we don't exclude certain women from feminism. But then you must remember the other end of this, some women do NOT want to be mothers, and that is also okay.

But what irked me about the loving wife and mother argument was this line, "You don’t submit to any man that you are not married to." YOU DON'T NEED TO SUBMIT TO ANY MAN. PERIOD. Your mind and body are your own, no one else's. It's completely fine to love your husband and respect him and do whatever you can to make him happy. The author of this article heavily emphasizes that importance of her husband's love. "It is a weight lifted to have a husband you can lean on." Again, feminists are accepting of ALL lifestyles; marriage, single, divorced, gay, bisexual, transgender, whatever your heart desires. You do not need a man, or any other person to complete you. You decide on whether or not marriage is apart of your journey, but either way, we support you.

This article just continues to go down hill from here, claiming "But I do believe that the man is the head of the household. The man is to be the provider, protector, and leader of his family." I have so many issues with this. If the last few years have taught us anything, it has shown us that women can do anything. They are doctors, lawyers, CEOs, members of Congress, and PRESIDENTIAL candidates. I myself am on track to obtain my JD/PhD and if I am technically the "breadwinner" of my house that is completely OKAY. Or maybe myself and my partner will both bring home the bacon. It is not naturally and explicitly decided that having a penis means making the money.

Even worse, said author had this to say regarding being the provider of the household; "That is a lot of pressure. And I don’t understand why feminists want to take it on. Why would you want that? God did make women as fragile beings." I respect you and your religious beliefs, and I am not discounting that. Personally, I am not religious so I would ask that you respect my beliefs in saying God did not make women fragile beings. Historically, society has forced women into a fragile state, but we are far from fragile. Women like Joan of Arc (prominent leader in France), Marie Curie (famous scientist, made huge strides in radioactivity), Kathrine Switzer (the first woman to run the Boston Marathon), Margaret Heafield (software engineer for NASA), Rosa Parks (civil rights activist), all the women who served in the military, work as EMTS, firefighters, police women, all women who have survived trauma, all women in history, are NOT fragile.

Moving onto the second article, "I Am A Female And I Am So Over Feminists", opens with the line "relax feminists, we're OK". She also starts off taking a jab at us and our "hatred" for men, "God forbid, a man has ideas these days". Feminists do NOT hate men. We have brothers, fathers, sons, husbands, etc. Also, if you open a history textbook, you would see that men have ALWAYS been running the show, and all we want is to get our input included.

Feminism is more than just women in America. Although stated in the article, "Women have never been more respected. Women have more rights in the United States than anywhere else in the world." That may be true, and the strides we have made in our country are paramount but far from over, other countries in the world are not nearly as fortunate as us. We fights for the rights of women WORLDWIDE, not just in our country. Real feminism knows no borders or boundaries.

I have noticed throughout reading anti-feminist articles that there are actually sexist undertones against women. Stated in the second article, "On a realistic level, how many women are turning on Sports Center in the middle of the day?" This is extremely offensive. Women have worked so hard to be able to play "men only" sports. Just because they don't have the same number of fans does not mean they don't deserve the same recognition. Women have every right to watch Sports Center or not.

Another myth about feminism is that we absolutely hate all men. It's not true at all. The article argues that we hate chivalry and men. "Why is it so “old fashioned” to allow a man to do the dirty work or pay for meals? Feminists claim that this is a sign of disrespect", I'm sorry but where are these feminists you are getting this information from? We do not claim it is disrespectful, we just want to acknowledge that women are capable of these things as well. I personally prefer when there is give and take in my relationship, we both pay and do the dirty work.

Possibly the worst quote out of the both of these articles is "We are not equals." She goes onto claim that women and men are both wired and built differently. Also, men are more "physical" and women are more "delicate". All of us are equal, whether you like it or not. How dare you stereotype and force all men into a physical and strong definition and women into a delicate little box. First of all, we live in a society of more than two binary genders, and gender is fluid and on a spectrum. Men can be masculine or feminine, and women as well. Some women wear make up and high heels, some men do. Some women wear jeans and boots, some men do. Some women and men wear both. You can do, wear, and accomplish whatever you want. Your gender is not a disadvantage. It is simply a part of you. Whether you want to play sports or walk the runway, it is up to you, not your gender.

"Men and women are meant to complement one another—not to be equal or to over-power. " No, men and women were created equally. Society and "gender norms" have pushed women back and stopped them from reaching their full potential. I am thankful for the women in history who defied this for the sake of our rights, and I am even more thankful that we are now a progressive enough society to make a real change. I can only hope other countries will follow in our footsteps, and one day the fight for equality will just be an issue mentioned in the history textbooks, not the newspapers.

I hope this better explains what feminism is, what we're about, and what feminists do. We are not the enemy. We just want equality.

With Love,

A Proud And Fighting Feminist