Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie really did say it best: we should all be feminists. In this day and age, feminism is associated with so many negative things: that feminists hate men, that we are all ugly, and that we hate stay-at-home moms for not working. There is a great myth that feminism is a movement exclusively for women. Additionally, many people believe that feminists want to be seen as greater than men, which is everything but true. Adichie says that the textbook definition of a feminist is “a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.” I couldn't have said it better.
The word feminist has a stigma. Saying you’re a feminist just rubs some people the wrong way. The way feminists are portrayed on social media, and by many people of younger generations, is not necessarily what feminism is at its core. Modern feminism is viewed as radical feminism, not as the textbook definition stated earlier. Not all feminists believe in the "free the nipple" movement. Not all feminists believe that abortions should be funded with taxpayer dollars. The small portion of women who do, however, speak out about it often, making people believe that the minority is the majority. Neither of these things are necessarily bad; they just should not be viewed as the only form of feminism. Feminism is not putting women on a pedestal above men; feminism is leveling out the playing field and making opportunities equally available amongst the genders.
To me, feminism at its core is simple: equality. Feminism is wanting to see our first female Commander in Chief, whether it be Carly Fiorina or Hillary Clinton or any other qualified woman who may come along. Feminism is achieving equality in the work place, through equal wages and merit-based job promotions. Feminism is abolishing gender stereotypes; not all women want to be stay-at-home moms. I have a personal interest in business and finance, a male-dominated industry.
When I mention this interest to others, they tell me, “Are you sure you want to do that? It’s such a cut-throat environment — very male-dominant. Not sure if you would like it.” And quite honestly, these comments just make me want to work in finance even more. I want to do my part to abolish the idea that business and finance are for men, and women are to stay in the home and nurture their children. Feminism works to achieve a world where men and women can share the responsibilities of child care and earning a living. Just because a woman bears a child, does not necessarily mean she should be the dominant caretaker; as we all know, it takes two to tango. Feminism is creating a future where men are taught not to rape, as opposed to women being told to cover themselves, never walk alone, and never leave your drink unattended. Don’t all of these things sound reasonable? I sure think so.
Feminism is not just for women. Men are an integral part of the feminist movement. In order to make gender equality a reality, men must first realize there is an issue that needs to be addressed. A recent CBS poll showed that only one out of every five men identify as a feminist. When the remaining 80 percent were told the definition of a feminist, the number of men who refused to identify as feminists shrunk to 39 percent. This leads me to believe that the key to gender equality is through the education of men. If men knew that feminism was simply equality between them and their sisters, daughters, mothers, and wives, I believe a lot more would be on board.
So, we should all be feminists. We should all believe that equality is the future. The world we live in should not dictate us and our beliefs; we should dictate the future of the world we live in. In her “We Should All Be Feminists” TED Talk, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says her personal definition of a feminist is “a man or a woman who says, ‘Yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today, and we must fix it, we must do better.’” So we should all be feminists. We should all seek a world where men and women are given equal opportunities. It just makes sense.
