Before I get into everything, let me just say, this is not an article written by a radical feminist who will be complaining or shit-talking men. This is just an article about why I think it would be beneficial for everyone to be aware of gender equality and to become educated on the true definition of "feminism."
This past semester, I had the privilege of taking a gender and women's studies course at my school. The only way I could describe the class would be eye-opening.
Like many, I was hesitant by the word "feminist." Due to that hesitation, I was also a bit put off and anxious to take a gender studies class. I'm not going to lie, I only signed up for the class because it fit nicely in my schedule and it counted toward my general education requirements. I had no real desire to take the class, and most importantly, I had no prior knowledge regarding the content of the class.
Before even stepping foot in the class for the first time, I was getting jokes from friends about taking it.
"Oh god, you're not going to become a radical feminist now are you?"
"Are you going to burn your bra and stop shaving your legs?"
These were the main jokes I would hear from friends. It's not like I would even get offended by them. I would just laugh along. My friends and I, at the time, had a lack of knowledge regarding feminism and what it meant to be feminists. Therefore, we contributed to the stereotypes of feminism by joking about it.
After just an hour and fifteen minutes in my first class, my whole outlook on feminism and gender studies changed. It changed enough to make me want to make that face above whenever someone jokes about feminism.
Once you are more informed on the subject and have a little bit more knowledge, you realize how ignorant and false those jokes and accusations are. For instance, if you are wondering if all feminists are lesbians, the answer would be no. Mostly in part to the fact that there are men who are feminists. That's right, men can be feminists too.
This is one of the first things we learned in my gender & women's studies class: that it is not only women who can be feminists. The definition of 'feminism' is "The advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men." To be a feminist you have to believe in the political, social, and economic equality to men...and that's really it. You don't have to be a man-hater, you don't have to stop shaving your legs, you don't have to burn your bra, and you don't even have to be a woman. You simply just have to believe in equal rights across all fields between men and women. Did that make you re-think things at all?
The point I want to make clear is that being a feminist in not, let me repeat that, NOT a bad thing! So many people are scared of the word, mostly because of its connotations. Being a feminist stereotypically connotes that you could be a lesbian or that you hate men. Yes, there are feminists who are lesbians, but lesbians do not make up the entire demographic of feminists. There are so many women and men who refer to themselves as feminists. Did you know Beyonce considers herself one? As does Amy Poehler, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Legend, and many more. If these people, both men and women, can call themselves feminists, then why can't you?
I have encountered numerous people who are so turned off by the word 'feminist' that they refuse to even acknowledge what it really means. My goal with this article is to educate those who have little knowledge on the topic to make them better understand feminism and to allow them to proudly refer to themselves as a feminist. Part of my goal is also to encourage you to go beyond this article and learn more for yourself. Take a class, google any questions you have, talk to your friends, anything. Just become more aware of what you or your friends are joking about.
Taking a gender and women's studies class opened up my eyes to so much regarding major issues women face in today's society. I loved the class and I love that I am proud to call myself a feminist. I believe that women should be seen as equals to men in society, and that's it. That belief right there qualifies me to be a feminist. If you believe in this as well, then I'm sorry to tell ya but you're one too.
