As I was scrolling through my Facebook, I came across an article Odyssey article titled "I Am A Female And I Am So Over Feminists" being shared. This is an old article, but for some reason, it is all over social media again. At first, I thought that maybe it would be sarcastic or satirical, but when I read it, I was plain disgusted.
Here are a few things I have to say to Gina Davis, the author of this article at a the University of South Florida.
First of all, I am so sorry that you are too ignorant to even try to understand what true feminism is. I am not sure what kind of feminists you have come across, but the majority of us believe in equality, not the idea of "women being superior." Feminism does not say chivalry is wrong; it's almost non-existent these days, but chivalry is not a thing that most of us would object to. Feminists do not consider "allowing a man to do the dirty work or pay for meals" to be dirty work, as you claim. Rather, we believe that each of us should have a choice; some women want a man who can take care of them, and some would rather be independent. Neither is wrong, it is just that every single woman should be able to make that decision for themselves (and unlike what you seem to be doing, should not have the right to judge others for what they choose).
Next, it really is interesting to me how you think that women getting paid less is acceptable simply because we came into the work-force later. While that might be true, how is it fair that a woman who is doing the EXACT SAME JOB as a man gets paid less for it? Her mother or grandmother could have worked for ten years or not at all, but neither one lessens the time and effort she puts into her job on a daily basis. Society should and will be blamed for the wage gap because it is unfair to a whole gender - yes, we can praise the fact that women have changed the work-force in a huge way, but we can also point out the inequalities that still exist; it does not have to be one or the other.
On top of that, I think it is great that you consider yourself strong and independent, and are proud of yourself. I am truly happy for you that you do not face discrimination based off the fact that you're a female. However, feminism is not about just YOU alone. The fact that you are treated equally is a good thing, but that doesn't automatically erase the fact that there are millions of women out there who are still treated unfairly because of their gender.
It does not erase the women who get paid less, who are forced into gender roles and do not get control over their own bodies, who are seen as "weak" and "incompetent," and told to "stay in the kitchen." It does not erase the number of people who are victims of female foeticide all around the world, the little girls who are forced into child marriages or the women who are sexually assaulted every single day, in every pocket of the world. You might be living a good life, but there are still millions of women who are not; they need feminism, regardless of whether you're "so over it" or not.
Finally, all I can say is that I know there's a 99% chance that none of this will change your mind. I have put in my two cents, but your opinion is yours. However, I truly do hope that one day, you get over all that internalized misogyny seething in you and see that feminism is a necessary thing in this world we live in. Until then, the rest of us feminists who you seem to dislike so much will still be fighting for our rights, as well as yours.
