By Emi Gruender
fem·i·nism
(noun)
The advocacy of women’s rights based on the equality of the sexes.
With the rise of the internet, the true definition of this elusive word has been twisted and warped—able to mean many different things at once. Some might insist that feminism is a victim mentality, a strategy to develop androphobia among young women world-wide, a “cancer” that is “killing America.” Others believe that feminism is the complete rejection of all things traditionally feminine, and an attempt to blur the lines between male and female physiology—or a way to rid women of their “uniqueness.”
Why is it now an insult to be called a feminist? Why is it that the mere mention of this word conjures images of women running from every man screaming “Rapist!” over her shoulder? Why do so many men vehemently oppose it?
It has been disheartening, to say the least, to read arguments against feminism as research for this article. On pages like “WomenAgainstFeminsim,” many faceless accounts rail against the perceived victimization of women through contemporary feminism, claiming that it is a “cancer.” Users spew angry rants about how women who dress promiscuously in public should expect rape, and how it is nothing more than a tool to drive men into the ground.
Especially after the #MeToo movement, when women have been coming out about their struggles about being a women in daily life, people like the commenter above take it personally. And unbeknownst to the above commenter, the military had just been opened to UK women in 1914, and social norms often prevented women from enlisting. At this time, women didn’t even have the right to vote. The “correct path” for a woman was a homemaker—the military was simply deemed an “inappropriate place.” Why, in this period, would women choose to place themselves in an environment where they were declared “weaker,” in a country where their voices weren’t heard in the government? Why would women defy social norms, which would doubtlessly result in social condemnation, for a country that doesn’t even view them as an entity separate from their husband?
It has only been one hundred years since women in America have been able to vote. Sorry, I was mistaken— 60 years since all women, regardless of their skin color—could vote. Even beyond that, 62 years since the Equal Pay Act was passed. Chances are that if your grandma lived in America around this time, she couldn’t vote.
Feminism is not this old, washed up, obsolete relic of the past. For thousands of years before the creation of America, even before the discovery of the New World—women have almost always held a subordinate position in relation to men. Often, they were not allowed to own property, file for divorce, own a bank account, be a legal individual separate from her husband, or even have legal custody of her own children.
And it is true that humanity has taken major strides in reaching legal and ideological goals on behalf of feminism. But there are still many—often affected by their involvement in religious organizations—that believe there is a set place for a woman, and a set place for a man. Some believe that biologically, women are mentally and physically weaker. And to this argument’s credit— men do tend to develop muscle mass faster than women do. However, the concept of strength depends on many factors. Females, for example, consistently have higher levels of pain tolerance and more highly developed leg muscles than men. 51% of women graduate from high school with a GPA above 3.0, compared to the 31% of boys, according to the research institution AIBM.
These trends do not suggest intellectual superiority of women in comparison to men; they simply prove that the preconceived notions of women being “dumber” than men are statistically false.
I once was proud to call myself a feminist without fear of backlash from those who harboured preconceived notions about what feminism meant to them. Now, simply identifying as a feminist immediately disgusts my conversation partner.
“Does that mean you hate men?”
No, of course not. Acknowledging the sometimes oppressive female status quo does not equal hating men. Empowering one group does not equal oppressing another.
“Does that mean you can’t cook?”
Everyone should be able to cook for themselves, regardless of their gender. The expectation that women should always cook for men in domestic settings is frankly immature. Your wife is your partner—not your babysitter or your mother. Learn to take responsibility for your own needs, like an adult.
“Does that mean you believe women are better than men?”
Yes, of course. I completely and totally believe that the genders are created so that one is far greater than the other.
Again, feminism addresses the very issue prevalent in statements such as these. For generations, widespread belief dictated that women were inherently inferior to men. Feminism simply aims to assert that each woman’s place is wherever she personally sees fit–whether that be in the home or at the top of the corporate ladder. Feminism is the insistence that women deserve the right to choose.
Sometimes, misled zealots parade under the slogans that “all men should die,” or “all men are rapists.” This train of thought is just as ridiculous as misogynistic beliefs, and they bring a bad light to a necessary movement on behalf of women. Feminists are not man-hating. Anyone that does hate men simply for the fact that they are men are not feminists—they’re bigots. And I am tired that the Internet has poisoned the word “feminism” to somehow resemble these extremely bigoted views.
The Internet, as many are very aware, is a cruel and lawless place. New subjects are crucified on pedestals day after day— fodder for the wide-mouthed anonymous users armed with snakes and knives. Feminism, in recent years, has become one of the internet’s unfortunate targets, as most controversial and radical topics end up being. Despite the faceless mouths on the internet that proclaim that they will never marry a woman who identifies as a feminist, I will continue to identify with it, no matter how much dissidents try to warp the meaning of the word. In my opinion, good men (and good people, all around) make an effort to develop their own opinions about civil matters without the input of “podcast bros,” and angry people on the internet. One day, I hope that the trend of stigmatizing feminism will flatten out. One day, I hope that the Internet, which I can unfortunately admit, is based upon outrage and sensationalism, will realize that feminism is not nearly as extreme as the publicized temper tantrums found everywhere on the web.
Feminism is not androphobia, it is not victimization, and it is not a “cancer.” Feminism is insistence that a woman gets to decide whether to pursue a rigorous academic career, pursue a homemaking life closer to tradition, run for president, run a business, or live in the woods alone with a cat—perhaps all at once, if she so desires. Feminism is insistence that a woman’s rights include bodily autonomy–meaning whether or not to keep an unplanned pregnancy without input from the government. Feminism is recognizing still-sticky fingerprint residues of prejudice left on our world, and fighting to scrub the final traces off. Feminism, at its heart, is humanism: recognizing the potential and innate privilege of every life, regardless of their biological gender.
But I don’t suppose all of that will fit inside of Google’s definition box, will it? I’ll do my best to condense.
fem·i·nism
(noun)
Insistence upon women’s right to choose.