Summer MinorHey you! You’re a feminist!
July 24th 2008 19:06
This is a repost of an article I wrote for my old blog back in June 2007. I'm sharing it here in response to Morgan's post what has Feminism done for you lately?
I get Google alerts to my email for certain keywords I’ve selected. Feminism is one of these words, something that always brings me great information. This morning it brought me this post. It is a great post by a woman trying to work out being a feminist without the negative assumptions that comes with it. And you know there are so many negative assumptions, and some flat out absurdities, floating around about feminists. Like Hilary Duff thinking that feminists automatically are lesbians. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa. But not all feminists are man-hating, lesbians who don’t shave their legs and wear flannel shirts.
A rant on this has actually been building for a bit. Ever since I ran across some blogs, written by women, themed as women who are against feminism. The very idea makes me laugh and cry. You are a woman, voicing your opinion, as if you are equal and your opinion on anything is worth hearing, and yet you are against feminism. Am I the only one seeing the irony and hypocrisy?
Maybe it’s just that some people have a different view of feminism than I do? To some they hear “feminism” and imagine angry women who want to destroy families, enslave men, and burn down the very fabric of civilization. I, on the other hand, imagine a woman who is free to choose as she please, who is equal to any other person despite what is between her legs, who can enjoy the same rights and privileges as everyone else. I imagine a woman capable of making her own choices, whatever those choices may be, and able to voice her opinion on her choices.
Think that is in part why I feel that those women spending time online preaching the horrors of feminism is such a hypocrisy. Here are women, voicing their opinion, putting themselves in a place where they feel that their ideas and opinions are important. And they are doing so to preach that they dislike being equal enough to voice their opinions. Isn’t stepping up into a place of authority and voicing your opinion an act of feminism in and of itself? Even if you claim you’re not a feminist you are still using the benefits fought for by feminists. It’s like disagreeing with the politics of American and saying “I’m not an American.” even though you still live here and enjoy the rights that you get from such. Voting, using birth control, getting equal pay, or just enjoy the right to tell your husband no when you’re not in the mood you are benefiting from feminism.
Like birches5354 says in her post:
I wanted to add at the bottom a link that was left on this post by Cate: Why I AM what a Feminist looks like!
I get Google alerts to my email for certain keywords I’ve selected. Feminism is one of these words, something that always brings me great information. This morning it brought me this post. It is a great post by a woman trying to work out being a feminist without the negative assumptions that comes with it. And you know there are so many negative assumptions, and some flat out absurdities, floating around about feminists. Like Hilary Duff thinking that feminists automatically are lesbians. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa. But not all feminists are man-hating, lesbians who don’t shave their legs and wear flannel shirts.
A rant on this has actually been building for a bit. Ever since I ran across some blogs, written by women, themed as women who are against feminism. The very idea makes me laugh and cry. You are a woman, voicing your opinion, as if you are equal and your opinion on anything is worth hearing, and yet you are against feminism. Am I the only one seeing the irony and hypocrisy?
Think that is in part why I feel that those women spending time online preaching the horrors of feminism is such a hypocrisy. Here are women, voicing their opinion, putting themselves in a place where they feel that their ideas and opinions are important. And they are doing so to preach that they dislike being equal enough to voice their opinions. Isn’t stepping up into a place of authority and voicing your opinion an act of feminism in and of itself? Even if you claim you’re not a feminist you are still using the benefits fought for by feminists. It’s like disagreeing with the politics of American and saying “I’m not an American.” even though you still live here and enjoy the rights that you get from such. Voting, using birth control, getting equal pay, or just enjoy the right to tell your husband no when you’re not in the mood you are benefiting from feminism.
At it’s root, I believe feminism is about women acknowledging their own power and not being afraid to make decisions for themselves.
I wanted to add at the bottom a link that was left on this post by Cate: Why I AM what a Feminist looks like!
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Comment by Doug Pollard
Rainbow Reporter