Feminist, Meninist, Humanist, Conservative, Liberal, etc. are labels we are all too familiar with in today's era. But, why are Americans so obsessed with taking on labels to define who they are? By all means stand up for what you believe in and fight for what's right in you're opinion, but why do we find it necessary to create a label that characterizes a person's specific ideology?
Society gives labels more power than they should be ever used for. Many times we do it in a call of empowerment and justice in a way that shows how strongly we feel about a certain topic as well as the unification of all those that have the same beliefs as you. However, in more times than none labels are also harmful to many people in todays's society due to the fact that labels are created off of the top of minds and are thrown into society without education. Like religion, labels are established and practiced by many people whom feel like they identify with said label in every day life. As generations grow we have become more free willed to be heard as well as publicize our ideologies, which give those that surround us the ability to create their own idea of how you base on association and accusation instead of research and education. Instead of labels expressing our privilege of self identification they became easier ways for judgement and inequality.
Labels also make it easier for society to stereotype one person for how they identify themselves by associating them with an action taken by someone (who was probably publicized by the media) as how they too act in the name of their ideology. This is discrimination. Hating a "feminist" because Madonna chose to publicly announce her thoughts on "blowing up the White House" during the woman's march after President Trump's inauguration is falsifying feminism. Feminism derives from a woman's desire to be equal to the male sex not commit terrorism. Stereotypes on labels are also created on more common characterizations such as homosexuality. Those that identify as "lesbian" are more to be characterized as masculine, which has been proven to be 100% incorrect.
Yes, I understand that labels are a form of self expression and identification, but why are they so exploited in every day life? Why are they necessary just to live a day to day life? Why is it impossible for people in America to just live by their given name and not how they choose to live their life, what they believe in, or what they've done? And why do we give labels to people based on their actions? What gives somebody the right to label a human being for waking up every day just as you or I? I challenge you to wake up a new day just by your legal name and show society what you stand for. We need to step out of the limitations of a label and refuse to allow it to define us just as it was made to do. BE the strong independent woman who runs her own business and makes bank because of her hustle. BE the man or woman you choose to be in life and come home to your life partner and share your love. BE the man that understands women rights as well as natural born rights. BE YOU.
