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Feminism Text Set
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Why We Still Need Feminism
09/18/2014 04:32 pm ET|UpdatedNov 18, 2014 Casey CavanaghFreelance writer and editor |
1 Feminists are not angry lesbians who hate men. Feminists do not believe women are better than men, or that women deserve special privileges. They do not believe women are victims. In order to be considered a feminist, you only need to be on board with one idea: All humans, male and female, should have equal political, economic and social rights.
2 Although more and more people are beginning to understand the true definition of feminism and openly identifying with it, there has always been a negative stigma attached to it. Part of this problem is the way our media sensationalizes things, trying to pass the most radical and extreme versions as the standard which, in this case, depicts a feminist as a man-hater who hates lipstick, crinkles her nose at stay-at-home moms, and unapologetically supports abortions on demand.
3 It’s these false assumptions that cause anti-feminist campaigns, such as the recent “Women Against Feminism,” which consists of people posting photos of themselves with statements such as: “I don’t need feminism because I don’t choose to ignore the fact that men have issues too” and “I don’t need feminism because I already have equal rights.” Reading through the majority of these posts quickly brings forth a glaringly obvious problem: how misguided too many people still are about what being a feminist actually means.
4 As Lena Dunhampointed out, “Feminism isn’t a dirty word. It’s not like we’re a deranged group who think women should take over the planet, raise our young on our own and eliminate men from the picture.” Being a feminist has nothing to do with how you look, what you wear, who you date, or how often you have sex. Being a feminist doesn’t mean you think women deserve special rights; it means you know we deserve equal ones.
5 While a primary purpose of feminism is to empower women, it does not mean feminists view all women as weak and oppressed. Feminists are not aiming to make women stronger; they already know they’re strong. They just want society to see that too. Empowering women does not mean belittling or punishing men. Men, too, suffer from gender role assumptions that place expectations upon them to live and act a certain way. Feminists believe each person should be viewed based on their individual strengths and capabilities as a human being, not the strengths and capabilities assumed of their gender. They believe every person should be treated equally — not because of gender, but in spite of it.
Why We Still Need Feminism
6 There are some people who believe that feminism is a thing of the past — that we don’t need it anymore because the patriarchal system no longer exists. After all, we can vote, right? That’s true. In fact, in all demographics, females vote more than men do. Yet, women still hold less than 20 percent of seats in Congress, even though they make up more than half the population. Some believe the patriarchal system doesn’t exist because we have equal employment opportunities. But if this were really the case would there still be a 23 percentpay gap?
7 It is great so many women today feel like they have equal opportunities as men. If it wasn’t for past feminist movements, who knows where we would be today. But we still need feminism, and will continue to need it, until every other woman in the world feels this way as well.
8 We still need feminism because when people get married it is assumed the woman will take the man’s last name. Because when women are assaulted, they are often the ones who feel ashamed.
9 We still need feminism because we teach women how to prevent rape, instead of teaching people to not view women as objects. Because women are told that walking alone at night makes them “an easy target.” Because, sometimes, a movie’s rating (PG-13 versus R) depends on how much a female appears to be enjoying sex in a certain scene.
10 We still need feminism because our bodies are still being legislated, because McDonald’s still asks us if we want a girl or boy toy, because we use terms like “b****” and p*****” to imply weakness.
11 We need feminism because FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), the act of cutting off and restitching female genitals to prevent pleasurable sex — and can happen to girls as young as 5 months old — is still practiced in 29 countries. Because more than 120 countries don’t have laws against marital rape, and still allow child brides — some as young as 6 years old.
12 We need feminism because infanticides, the act of killing children within a year of birth, can be attributed to millions of fewer females than males in Middle Eastern countries, and because in Afghanistan women going to college can be considered justifiable grounds for disfiguring. Being a feminist does not mean you think women can’t speak for themselves, it means you realize that, even though some may be lucky enough to, there’s still many who can’t.
It is not a gender issue — it is a humanity issue.
13 It isn’t about telling women what to do, it is giving them the ability and freedom to be able to choose to do whatever they want to do — whether that be a stay at home mom, electrical engineer, or business CEO. The purpose is to create a society of equal say, to provide people with the freedom of choice, rather than limited choices of assumption.
14 Feminists don’t believe women should look or behave a certain way, it means they want women have to have the freedom to look and behave however they want — unapologetically. It is not about telling women what they need.
15 While reading through Women Against Feminism posts that say things such as, “I don’t need it because I already feel equal” and “I don’t want feminism because I don’t need special treatment, and don’t support sleeping around,” I can’t help but think it isn’t about our personal wants and needs, though they are all relevant, but rather what we — as a society — needs.
16 If you are a feminist, you believe women should be treated the same as men, not because we’re better, but because we’re human. As Joseph Gordon-Levittso eloquently worded it, “I’m a believer that if everyone has a fair chance to be what they want to be and do what they want to do, it’s better for everyone. It benefits society as a whole.” The idea that there are still people, let alone women, proudly declaring they don’t need feminism is alarming and frightening — at best.
17 We need feminism because people are still blindly agreeing that women don’t need to be paid for the same work as men, that they are okay with the indifference and injustices so ingrained in society that they have accepted it as a way of life. That they are not only looking the other way to these issues, but they are also entirely and genuinely convinced they are doing the world a favor by hushing feminist attempts.
18 Some people don’t feel the need to voice their thoughts on the matter at all, and that’s okay. But there is a big difference between being indifferent and being ignorant. And that difference is speaking out about an issue when your opinion is based on misguided information and false assumptions. Why do we need feminism? For the same reason screenwriter John Whedon gave when asked why he writes such strong female characters, “Because you’re still asking me that question.”
I’m A Woman And I Hate Modern DayFeminism
Andrea Davis
1 You read that correctly. I’m a female and I hate feminism.
2 Feminism has changed drastically over the years and it’s become a nationwide phenomenon that’s entirely cultivated by us. I’m all for “girl power” and the concept that women possess equal rights to men. But we’re shoving the idea of feminism down each other’s throats and forcing ourselves to believe that we’re considered to be less than men. Radical feminists have slandered the true meaning of the word feminism.We’re highlighting the extreme differences between men and women, which completely goes against the idea of gender equality.
3 In fact, women are doing better than ever in terms of having equal rights to men in the United States. We have more rights in the U.S. than any other country in the world. We have the right to be assumed caregivers for children. We hold the right to call unwanted, coerced, forced sex what it is: rape. We hold the right to choose parenthood. Gender equality has evolved a tremendous amount and it often goes unnoticed.
4 It’sinevitablethat women haveseveral differences frommen. There is a divide between both the mental and physical makeup of a male and female body. There is a reason for this; thereforewe are not equals.Although we aren’t totally equal in that sense, we live in a time period where women are able to take on the same jobs as men. Women are able to perform the same physically grueling labor as men. Day in and day out we are proving that we’re able to take on the same tasks as the average man does.
5 Feminism used to mean that women are to possess the same rights that men do, but we’ve flipped the switch and morphed it into an entirely different game. If you tell a woman to smile, you’re automatically a sexist. If you tell a woman she’s beautiful, you’re reducing her to just her looks. If you tell a woman she’s intelligent, you’re a sexist for being bewildered that she’s smart and more than just her body. Of course, there are plenty of men out there that go against these beliefs and disregard any respect for the female race.
6 But, this generalization of the entire male population needs to go.
7 The belief that all men are cruel, women-degrading pigs — this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Modern Feminism is overloaded with obtrusive hypocrisy, lies, and double-standards, that it’s become incapable of defending itself without denouncing itself at the same time.
8 Modern Feminists have slandered the name of feminism by tainting it with preposterous, easily condemned, and self-contradictory allegations.
9 I fully support the idea of being a strong, powerful, independent woman. What I’m not supportive of is putting down and entire gender in order to claim a sense of “dominance” over the other.Men are not dominant over women. Women are not dominant over men.In all reality, feminism is what we make of it. Of course, there are still gaps in gender equality. Yes, in some circumstances women are not equal to men. There will always be an undisclosed divide in gender equality. We need to utilize how much women’s rights have evolved throughout the years and the independence we’ve endured from it.
Feminism Needs to Stop Isolating Females
15/09/2015 17:46|Updated15 September 2016 Lauren Fraser Politico, Blogger
1 Your students’ union may have tried to convince you otherwise, but burning your bra and refusing to shave your armpits doesn’t make you a feminist. Nor does telling other women how to think, feel, act and live. And wearing a t-shirt with a tampon on just makes you an idiot.
2 I’m a woman, and I believe in equality. I also believe there is nothing wrong with a man holding the door open for me or paying me a compliment. These are things our radical feminist friends frequently condemn as patronizing and overpowering. I call it practical and polite.
3 I consider myself part of a growing group of women who are frustrated by radical feminists damaging the very cause they claim to support and making a mockery out of a movement was created to promote the equality of men and women.
4 For those that say there is no need for feminism today - I beg to differ. But I understand that the way the movement is being conveyed lends itself to that conclusion. The way I see it, while we have a pay gap, FGM, domestic abuse, female infanticide and child marriage, there is a very real need for feminism. This isn’t about not sweating the small stuff (I hate blatant sexism as much as the next woman), this is about refocusing our efforts.
5 Sadly, the above causes rarely get the air time or print paragraphs they really deserve. Instead, we are exhausted by stories about a woman overreacting to a man paying her an ill-thought comment on a social networking website.
6 Unfortunately, at the moment radical feminists are shouting louder than actual feminists, those of us who strive for equality rather than a movement that is set on man-hating and denying “non-believers” the freedom of speech. Campaigns such as HeforShe are helping, but they aren’t enough. We need He and She. We need men and women to come together in solidarity for a movement that places people at the heart of it, not a specific gender.
7 We don’t need to be vulgar, overly-obnoxious or rude to get our point across. But we should stand up to women who are damaging the cause, because after all, freedom of speech and having an opinion is what it is all about.
Men Have Started An Anti-Feminism Movement On Twitter, Are Calling Themselves 'Meninists'
Caroline Moss Dec. 19, 2014, 11:44 AM
1 Twitter is a great place for taking a stand, but sometimes the causes are less than honorable. Take the latest anti-feminism movement, led by men who are calling themselves "meninists."