To many people, the word "feminist" has a very negative connotation. A lot of people think of the radical, bra-burning, “all men are pigs” type of women. The reality is that most people that identify as feminists these days are absolutely nothing like this. In fact, according to a study online, many people would not identify themselves as feminists because of what they thought it meant. After being given the actual definition, nearly 30 percent more of them were willing to claim to be feminists.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, feminism is defined as “the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.” When put this way, it really doesn’t sound so radical, does it? Feminism is simply the belief that men and women are equal and should be treated as such. It is entirely too common in the world today for people to say things that are extremely sexist without even batting an eye. It’s saddening to me to live in a world where people think it’s okay to say things that are offensive and stereotyping of all women.
I personally have dealt with men who have talked down to me about being a feminist, claiming that I, as a female, think I’m better than all men. This is the furthest thing from the truth. Just because I feel that I should be treated as an equal doesn’t mean that I feel that I’m better than all men. I just want to be treated with the same amount of respect - no more, no less. I don’t think it’s too much to ask to be treated as an equal individual.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the entire world is out to get women. The world as a whole is generally advancing to a more balanced culture, where women are not treated as lesser than equal. I do believe that there are people though, especially in the media, who are slowing the progress in this country.
For example, I recently read an article online listing a few sexist things said by Donald Trump, a serious front-runner in the GOP presidential race. He posted a tweet about Hillary Clinton saying, and I quote, “If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband, what makes her think she can satisfy America?” Now say what you will about Clinton, but her gender and her once-controversial relationship with her husband has absolutely nothing to do with her political campaign. This is a crude, unnecessary and classless comment made by Trump (as are most of the things he says, but I digress). This implies that Hillary Clinton’s capability to be in office is determined by her ability to satisfy her husband, playing on the scandal from when he was in office and supposedly had an affair. As I said, we are each entitled to our opinions of Clinton politically, but it’s no one’s place to attack her personal life as if it has any part in her ability to run the country. Just a word to the wise; if your opinion of Hillary Clinton (or any other female politician for that matter), whether it be negative or positive, is based on the fact that she is a woman or on her relationship with her husband, you aren’t thinking in the right direction.
From this political tangent, I just want to get the point across that there are still people in this country today, especially in the media, who are hindering the progress toward equality for the sexes. This is only one of the many examples of the ways that women are being portrayed as somehow being inferior to men. In this country, women are being paid less than men for the same work. All over the world, women are still being treated as essentially nothing more than sexual objects.
Whether it makes people think of me as a radical or not, I will stand up and identify myself as a feminist one hundred percent of the time. Women being treated so negatively as I mentioned before is not okay, and I refuse to sit back and pretend that it is. I have stood up for myself and others on many occasions, and I will continue to do so. People need to be called out on sexist and discriminatory acts. Being a feminist doesn’t mean being some crazy person on a power trip for women; it simply means that I just want what’s fair. There is nothing radical about it, and I feel that learning what feminism truly means will lead more people to see that it’s a normal frame of mind.
