Recently, one of my Facebook friends posted a rebuttal to an article. Now, I usually don’t like when people go on Facebook rants, but this one I loved. The article was titled “I Am Not A Feminist, And That Is Okay.” It baffles me how any woman living in the constant inequality that we face as a society daily isn’t a feminist??
I don’t think people understand what a feminist is. With Twitter accounts like “Meninist” out there, and general misunderstandings, feminists are being branded as bra-burning, man-hating psychos; and this is the farthest thing from accurate.
Being a feminist means wanting equality of the sexes, especially in the work place. Women are still making only 77¢ to the dollar that men are, women currently hold only 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEO roles, and only 14 percent of the top executives are women. I don’t know how people rationalize in their minds that this is okay. The only reason people have for these unsettling statistics is that women take time off to care for their children. Women, you know, the ones that birthed and stayed home to raise the current 95.4 percent of the Fortune 500 CEOs that are men.
What that bothers me the most is the bias and sexism in media interviews. Watching female celebrities get interviewed is borderline painful these days. Don’t believe me? Scarlett Johansson, during a press interview for The Avengers in 2012, was asked if she wore underwear under her Black Widow suit. An ET reporter said to Taylor Swift “You’re going to walk home with more than just a trophy tonight, I think lots of men” to which Swift replied “I’m not going home with any men tonight.” And now, the most BOSS reply to a sexist question EVER: during a radio interview with Lauren Conrad, the host asked “What is your favorite position?” to which she replied “CEO.”
Honestly, we just need to stop the nonsense. Women are amazing. Women don’t belong in the kitchen unless they want to be. Women are not trying to get ahead by stomping every men in their path. We are simply looking for the equality and respect we deserve.
I am a proud feminist.
You should be too.
