Feminism today?
Sunday 30 October 2016
A thoughtful article is now needed. it's been quite some time since i really sat down and got out of my chest subjects that have been compressed within for too long. today i then want to talk about feminism and why we need it more than ever today. i want to talk about feminism because still today this word seems to scare people out, both men and women. it's so feared that people literally hate calling themselves "feminists", yeah no joke a girl and then a boy told me this... so it got me thinking: why is this word so badly received in this society? why do people fear to call themselves "feminists" should i fear being one? a devoted one? what is all this fuss around feminism?
To be honest, i don't have all the answers to my question but i like making hypothesises and so i did. my first hypothesis is that feminism is still not well seen today because it is a social movement protesting against societal values installed since centuries. it's shaking up POV and changing things up. and some people have a problem with it because privileges some are enjoying are put in "danger", they might lose these privileges, they're feeling like those privileges are going to be taken away from them. to sum things up: the privileged fear feminism because it's a complete blur to them, they have pre-conceived ideas they have been thrown out. this is also why so many people are very hesitant to call themselves "feminists".. media depicted feminism as something so bad we needed to get rid of it or fear it. not that media has change a lot towards the subject, it's just that feminism has dug its own path and made its voice louder to be heard and seen as it is and not as mainstream media wants us to see of it. people fear calling themselves feminists because mainstream media at some point told us that this movement wasn't right and that being part of it was wrong.. yeah i am not even joking.. nice try mainstream media, nice try!
I am an activist, every now and again when societal subjects come up, i am always up to talk about it. like many other fervent feminists, my activism grew step by step, i read many essays, books, articles, blogs, watched videos on that topic to understand what feminism was really about. i educated myself on that topic because i felt like something wasn't fully said by the media. this is how i found out about the different kind of feminism, the essence of it and the reasons why we need it today. i won't quote you down all the reasons to still have feminism today, you can google that yourself. this post because i always have the feeling that lots of people misinterpret the cause of feminism, so many people are scared of it or don't want to call themselves that way. first and foremost if you are for the equality, equity and parity of the sexes, you are a feminist and there's is nothing wrong about it! and please don't come and argue that you are a "humanist" or an "equalist", feminism is humanism and equality so if you are a feminist you are both. the word itself just accentuates the fact that in the process, women are the one who don't enjoy full equality in this society. and there is nothing wrong with the word itself!
Also something i will never stress enough: FEMINISM IS ALSO FOR MEN. actually men should be the first feminists because they live in a society that was seemingly built "by them, for them" so in order to dismantle this patriarchy system we live in, we need them. we need them to acknowledge that we indeed are in a world where women are seen as "less than" and don't enjoy all the privileges a white straight cis man from a middle/upper class enjoy on a daily basis. i insist on the white straight cis man with a good situation, because in modern society, he is the one who will not get bothered by what society pressures others for. he fulfills "the ideal" criteria of what society demands and is rarely questioned may it be on his skin colour, sexual orientation, marital status, financial situation, or behaviour. if all white straight cis men acknowledged they were enjoying more privileges than other social groups, we would have already been farther way in equality!
Also very important a feminist fights for equality and equality FOR BOTH GENDERS!!! if men enjoy a lot of privileges women don't, know that they also face inequality in certain domaines such as paternity leave, sexism (yes, men face sexism, not on the same scale as women, but they do!), the way they have to behave (be tough, don't cry, be protective, man up, and so on!) or just some people still believing that men can't be victims of domestic abuse or rape. it's important to remind people that feminism fights for the equality of the sexes, meaning, equality for women and men. don't be afraid to call yourself a feminist, if you believe that a woman and a man should enjoy social, political and economic equality, then congratulation you're a feminist! be proud of it, because if society has to fear someone, it is the one who refuses change and accept others' current condition, not you. you are here because you want to change mentality and live in a society more equal for everybody and the world deserves to know the effort you put in the process, therefore don't be ashamed to be a feminist.
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