Feminism. Oh, feminism. When most hear that word they think of an angry old woman who has about fifty cats, hates men, and refuses to shave or wear a bra. I hate to break it to those who believe the stereotype, but most feminists are not that way. Sure, some feminists may be radical, but that’s no big deal--and it’s their choice. However, misconceptions of this nature frustrate me beyond belief. As someone who wants to pursue a career in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, this stereotype causes me to become extremely irritated when the public makes erroneous statements about certain issues. While sitting in one of my classes the other day, the topic of feminism came up.Of course, I heard the word and automatically became alert. I thought that maybe, just maybe, I would hear some intelligent insight on it… Boy, was I wrong. Instead, I heard a bunch of ignorance spew out of multiple individuals’ mouths. I was appalled and decided it would be best if I held my tongue.

You’re probably wondering what was said. Well, those who spoke up decided to say that feminism “was not progressing and not needed.” They also decided to add that the movement was “exclusive to Caucasian women." I ground my teeth and tried to calm down. What world have they been living in? Have they not kept up with the news? Obviously, ignorance really is a wide spread and crippling disease.

Feminism is forever advancing. First wave feminists fought for women’s voting rights and succeeded. Those in the second wave helped women acquire spots in the work force. The third wave has been fighting multiple battles, such as pushing for equal pay among different sexes, women’s right to their own body, and social freedom for women who live in countries that are extremely misogynistic and patriarchal. Feminists lobby for all ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and identities. Nowhere has it been said that we are only pushing for white women to gain access to equal rights. The definition of feminism does vary; some say that it is the theory of political, social, and financial equality between the sexes, while others have broadened the definition to also include those of the LGBTQ community. No matter what the definition may be, the main focus is still equality. The feminist ideology is not that women should be “above” men; it is that they should both share equal privileges, and that these also apply to people of different religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, etc. So, really, it is not exclusive.

Some may ask, “Why is feminism truly important?” In an article in the University of Alabama’s Crimson White, Luisa Sanchez addresses the same issues that I do. In Europe, women earn “16.4 percent less than men,” while in the United States women “earn $0.77 to every dollar men earn for the same amount of work (Sanchez).” Women in the Middle East are fighting for education rights; women in China have to deal with the fact that males are more valued than females. In many other countries, (‘em) young girls are still are forced into arranged marriages, and a worldwide issue exists with human trafficking: mail order brides, sweatshop workers, child labor, and sex tourism. While we may not regularly see some of those issues in the U.S, they do exist, even if they are kept quiet in the back alleys of major tourist areas. Organizations such as the Feminist Majority Foundation, Women for Women International, and many others work to help abolish some of the issues mentioned above. Now can those individuals say that feminism isn’t important?

The real kicker here is that the majority of the people involved in making these inflammatory comments were women. Do they not realize that these people, whom they labeled as unimportant, are the reason they have the social privileges they do today? If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be able to vote. Women in politics would likely not exist, or exist in only small numbers. Ultimately, women would still be stuck in the Dark Ages of social equality. Sure, feminism still has a long way to go with some issues, but it is making progress. Every day, small changes are made that allow for steps forward. I am proud to say that I am a feminist and always will be. Hopefully down the road others, who are not as knowledgeable, will gain enough understanding to open their minds and be able to say the same.

Links to mentioned organizations:

Feminist Majority Foundation

http://www.feminist.org/default.asp

Women for Women International

http://www.womenforwomen.org/what-we-do?gclid=CPjZ8-jYnMgCFQUFaQodzyAFAQ

Works Cited

"Feminism Still Relevant as Long as Gender Inequality Continues to Exist." - The Crimson White. The University of Alabama, 8 Oct. 2014. Web.