Ever since I can remember I have noticed something very wrong in the way men and women are treated. It wasn't until my sophomore year of college, after taking an intro to women's studies course, that I came out as a feminist. I will not give a definition of feminism because there simply isn't one. There isn't one right way to be a feminist or practice feminism. Feminism is something a little different for everyone. These are just some of the strifes I have had to deal with since proclaiming my personal feminism.
1. We're all hairy-legged, radical and angry.
While this may be true for some, certainly not all. I accept the fact that the concept of women being clean shaven is society's construct, and I choose to shave for comfort. What's wrong with hair anyway? It's natural! And of course we're angry; angry about all of this inequality!
2. We hate the male gender.
This is absolutely false. Feminism is the strive for gender equality. That includes males, females, trans, etc. While the patriarchy is a real thing, men are at many disadvantages compared to women. I recommend checking out Michael Kimmel's "Guyland" for more info! I, personally, want to bring more light to these issues seeing that feminism as a whole is portrayed as a movement that only cares about females.
3. We're evil liberals who want to kill babies.
Really? I know plenty of like-minded feminists who are not liberal and plenty who are against abortion. These fellow feminists are against abortion for themselves, but do advocate for the majority woman's choice.
4. Only females can be feminists.
I think the prefix of "fem" throws a lot of people off. Just because the word sounds "feminine" (what is feminine anyway?) doesn't mean it is only for the feminine! Males need feminism just as much as women. I believe we need more male-idenitfying feminists so we can grasp a better understanding of their issues from a first person perspective.
I hope through this short article you, the reader, have a better understanding of what feminism generally is. My goal is to always open the mind of anyone and everyone that I can to the many issues women and men face that they may have not been aware of before. This is just the beginning.
