Ahh feminism. A hot topic in our culture today and the cause of much division, between men and women, women and women, and men and men.
Anti-feminists imagine feminists as radical, hypocritical, misinformed, ignorant, man-haters who are chomping at the bit for any chance to impose their lunatic ramblings on you. Feminists imagine anti-feminists as selfish, visionless, uneducated numskulls living in the dark ages and forcing females to wear long skirts and exist solely to aid in reproduction.
Pick your poison.
So what's missing from this conversation?
1. Clarity
One problem with the conversation about feminism is that there are all sorts of connotations that are tacked on to the term "feminist."
The term "feminist" has gotten quite the bad rep. So much so that even those who share similar opinions politically or otherwise may even argue about whether or not they consider themselves to be "feminists."
I'd suggest a dictionary definition, but now, that'd be too simple, wouldn't it?
It's far too much fun to cause a big fuss about a small detail that is disagreed upon than to accept a broad definition of which the majority is agreed upon.
2. A Broader Perspective
If I say, "I'm a feminist." Maybe you think that my main concerns are the wage gap, unfair high school dress codes, and shaming stay-at-home moms.
And for some unfortunate, uneducated feminists, those are top concerns.
What's missing from the conversation about feminism is a broader perspective. I'd hope that most feminists would be deeply concerned with issues such as international human trafficking (of which the most common victims are 12 year old girls), machismo (extreme male chauvinism- look it up for a more elaborate description) that exists in many countries today, and women's struggle for basic rights in countries around the world.
Yes, women face prejudices in the workplace in the United States, but we do not have to spend every day worried about how to feed our families in the midst of war and devastation. We do not have to worry about our daughters facing female genital mutilation, or being at the risk of rape every minute of every day. In some places, this is a sad, sad, reality.
These issues should be of top concern in our world-whether we identify as feminist or not. I'm thankful for the progress that I have seen in the spread of awareness for human trafficking, but there are many other dire issues that women face without help and without a voice.
Yes, it’s great that some moms can stay at home- more power to em’
…but some women don’t get that choice
3. Wisdom
I am ashamed when I hear a woman or man spewing uneducated slander from a soapbox labeled "feminism." Feminism is meant to be a positive thing. It is the effort to empower women to be the best that they can be. In my humble opinion, many people claim to be “feminists” because they think that it is the trendy thing to do, and many people claim to be anti-feminist because it is more accepted in certain circles (or more positively viewed by certain men).
A decision should not be made based on the opinions of others, but on pure educated research and personal opinion.
So I’ll let you decide: am I a feminist?
Are you?
