I will begin by stating the seemingly obvious: I identify as a feminist. According the dictionary.com, the term describes an individual who “advocates social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men.” Merriam-Webster defines feminism as “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.” Like the former, Oxford Dictionary calls it “the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” I cite multiple sources to make the point that feminism, by its definition, is a movement devoted to propelling our society towards gender equality. A misnomer though it may be, it’s a description I wear with pride, as it exemplifies how, just as I do not believe any race or religion deserves more perks than any other, so do I believe the same with regards to gender, sex, and sexual orientation.
While this may be extremely obvious to me as well as the majority of self-proclaimed feminists, I have noticed a mass misinterpretation of the title. I feel is the misconception that “feminist” is synonymous with “man hater”, “alpha bitch”, or, in my experience, “bra-burning bimbo.”
Hence why I feel articles of this caliber are necessary. Bear with me as I venture into the wee hours of the morning to debunk five of what I believe are some of the most common myths circulating about feminists. Disclaimer: I am NOT saying you will not ever come across female supremacists or people that keep these myths going that call themselves feminists. I can’t account for those individuals any more than the entirety of the Islamic population can account for Al-Qaeda or all animal rights activists can account for blood-throwers. I encourage you not to let the actions of a few alter your perception of the majority.
1. We all hate men.
By far the most annoying and misguided view I hear about feminists. This could not be anymore false. As the aforementioned dictionary definitions indicate, we absolutely do not believe we are better than men. We just do not believe we are entitled to any less and, even in our modern society, women are still disadvantaged in numerous arenas. In 2013, out of 535 total members of Congress, only 99 were women. Only 18.2 percent of Representatives are women as well as only 20 percent of Senators. Studies also show that, by a time a woman reaches 45 years of age, she will have made approximately 450 thousand dollars less than her equally qualified male counterparts. Keep in mind, we are certainly not saying that men do not deserve a say in political or economic matters – we just don’t believe that women don’t deserve one. Just because we have historically received the shorter end of the stick does not mean we advocate for a modern-day dictatorship of the vaginas. However, as there are approximately just as many females alive today as there are men, we see no reason not to cater equally to both sexes.
2. We look down on housewives.
Another reputation-shattering stereotype. I understand the logic behind it, though. Because we advocate for equal rights in the work place, this must mean we reject any women that choose to be housewives instead of joining our cause. Not so. Having and raising children is a beautiful endeavor as well as a full-time job in itself. If a woman decides of her own free will to channel all of her energy into keeping a home and bringing up children, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. However, the driving force behind the movement the power of choice without prejudice or disadvantage. In other words, women should not be confined to being homemakers and/or mothers if they want other things, hence all of the noise we make about equal political, economic, and legal opportunities. Women should not have to compromise their dreams for fear of sexist barriers. And let’s not forget that traditionalist, one-size-fits-all binary that confines us to certain roles. You know, this one:
The one that says men can’t be emotionally vulnerable or talkative. The one that says women are to be seen and not heard. The one that says a tough, decisive woman is masculine and a man that displays gentility or nurturing qualities is feminine. The one that fits us into boxes and erases who we are.
3. Men can’t be feminists because we never address male issues.
Going back to the definitions I cited earlier, none require that the individual who advocates for political, social, legal, and economic gender equality must be a woman. This is because “feminist” is synonymous with “gender equality proponent”, which can apply to anyone. To elaborate beyond this technicality, people also fail to realize that not only women have battles to fight. Men receive unfair treatment in numerous areas as well. How is it, for example, that 1 in 4 men have been victims of some form of violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, yet almost all safe houses in this country are designated for women? Why is it that, even though 1 in 33 men are victims of attempted or completed rape, we lack court advocacy programs, subsidized counseling, and subsidized legal care, all of which are in abundance for women? Why is it that a stigma remains attached to stay-at-home dads who take care of their children and tend to their homes while their partners work? Did you know that between 100 and 140 thousand men are raped in prisons annually? These are just a few of the many issues that need assistance, just like the wage gap and lack of female representation in power lobbies.
4. We’re all butch lesbians on our periods.
This is just disappointing on so many levels, I’m sorry. First of all, while most of us may be women, that says nothing about our sexualities. Lesbians are not the only women that are disadvantaged in the world today and to assume that A) all feminists are lesbians and B) all lesbians are feminists is a hasty, slipshod generalization to say the least.
I think I can safely go without even commenting on the period aspect of this claim.
5. We don’t need feminism anymore.
This will most likely be the longest and most heated explanation thus far, so prepare yourselves, readers. Yes, I am fully aware that the feminist movement originates with the suffragettes that fought for our right to vote and that yes, we can vote today. Be that as it may, that definitely does not mean there are not 32092985325302 other reasons that advocates for gender equality are necessary for the progression of our society. We have not yet reached gender egalitarianism and the only way to get there is to find where the injustices are, spread awareness, and promote change. Here are a few reasons on my shortlist that we indicate a need for feminism:
- Because we’re taught in public schools that having sex will initiate the loss of a part of ourselves.
- Because we live in a culture where 1 in 4 women are sexually assaulted and we still ask questions like, “what was she wearing?” and “how much had she had to drink?”
- Because catcalling and street harassment never has been and never will be complimentary.
- Because so many people still don’t understand that being intoxicated, being unconscious, and/or being underage mean that consent CANNOT be given.
- Because while breastfeeding in public remains taboo and controversial, breasts are used in advertisements to sell clothing, food, hygienic products, and just about everything else.
- Because it is estimated that 20 million women and 10 million men in the United States suffer from eating disorders in attempts to fit into our society’s distorted beauty ideals.
- Because, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
- Because roughly 50 percent of girls in Yemen will be married before they’re of legal age.
- Because, in 2013, statistics indicated that white women (on average) made 78 cents for every dollar their equally qualified male counterparts made. Black women made 64 cents and Hispanic women made 54.
- Because, in Saudi Arabia, women cannot vote, drive, compete freely in sports, travel without a chaperone, or even try on clothes when shopping.
- Because only 22 states require that schools teach sex education and only 19 have mandated that the information provided must be medically accurate.
This barely scratches the surface of my list of reasons, but moreover, we believe in equality. We believe in freedoms of choice and speech. We believe that the world should offer the same opportunities for success and safety for men and women alike. We believe in applying what Martin Luther King Jr. said about race to sex, gender, and sexual orientation. “…that [our] children will one day live in a nation where they will be not judged by the color of their skin but by the quality of their character.” Why should we stop there? And why should we wait for the next generation to do something? We have come a long way, but we are not there yet. We, as human beings, have to fortune to contain a diverse platter of races, beliefs, genders, sexual orientations, sexes, and stories. The world is missing out every day it does not offer everyone the safe houses in which to be sheltered from abusive partners, legal advocacy, equal pay for dedicated work, non-discriminatory attitudes towards various sexual identities, and so much more. We need feminists now just like we needed the suffragettes in the early 20th century and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1950’s.
And for those of you wondering, some of us shave our armpits and some of us don’t. Get your minds out of the gutter and deal with it. It’s hair.
Sources:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/feminist?s=t
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminist
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/feminism
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-facts-eating-disorders
http://www.ncadv.org/learn/statistics
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/oct/01/story-yemen-child-bride
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0882775.html
http://www.theweek.co.uk/60339/twelve-things-women-in-saudi-arabia-cant-do
http://www.nwpc.org/statistics
http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-policies-on-sex-education-in-schools.aspx
