Before I go any farther, I want it to be 100 percent clear that I am a strong supporter of women’s rights. Luckily, I was raised in a family where women ran the show. My grandma is 91 and still cleans her own gutters. My aunt is unmarried and an executive at a major banking corporation. My mom runs her own small business and kept her last name when she married my dad. I thank my lucky stars every day that I have such an amazing group of independent women to look up to, and I believe that they deserve the exact same amount of respect and opportunities as men.
That being said (my mom, grandma, and aunts will probably kill me for saying this), I have to admit, I have a hard time identifying as a feminist. I wasn’t always this way. When I was younger I was that girl shouting "Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider” from the rooftops, but not anymore. With International Women’s Day just last week, I really put in some thought into why the word “feminist” is always stuck in my throat. Here’s what I came up with.
When I think feminism, I think boys vs. girls. I can’t exactly pinpoint why I feel this way, and normally, I would say that’s just my own distorted view, but I know I’m not alone in this way of thinking. Emma Watson addressed this ideology with her HeforShe campaign, which pushes for gender equality rather than just focusing on women’s rights. I think her organization has brought the gender war to the forefront of the equality issues that still plague our world today. Instead of acting like it’s the entire male population that wants to deny women success, maybe we should embrace the support from males and work to create a world where not only we have the same rights as men, but where men have the same rights as us.
The other reason I have problems with identifying as a "feminist” is due to the hostility that is associated with the term. Women’s rights activists are some of the most passionate individuals around, as they should be. But sometimes, this passion can be detrimental to their cause. Sometimes this passion can come off as, well, bitchy. Take Kim Kardashian’s selfie debacle for example. After posting a picture of herself that left little to imagination on social media, Kim was ripped apart by many proclaimed feminists who believe that she’s setting the wrong example for young girls. First of all, I just want everyone to realize who we are talking about here. Kim got her fame from being in a sex tape! Are we really actually that surprised she posted something like this? No. Stop acting like we thought she was Mother Teresa. Secondly, if you’re going to preach for women’s rights, realize that it is her right to post whatever she wants, whether it be in poor taste or not. While I understand why people are upset, we have to remember it’s literally just the human anatomy of a woman. Who are we to shut down someone who embraces their body as it is? Don’t we want girls to be confident in their own skin? We as women need to stop attacking each other, and start working together. That’s the only way we can acquire the rights that we deserve.
I can’t 100 percent say that I’m a feminist, simply because I don’t believe that’s the right term. However, I am more than open to the exchange of ideas and beliefs of those who wish to prove me differently. My personal beliefs are that both men and women were created equal, and our society should reflect that. I’m just not sure if feminism is the way to go about it.
