As I encounter more and more people on the fence about calling themselves a feminist; I often find myself asking the same question: “Don’t you believe women should have the opportunity to be politically, socially and economically equal to men?“ and just as often the answer is usually “yes... but *enter one thing I don’t believe* and that is why I am not a feminist”. People are constantly trying to tag this ‘but’ on to what it means to be feminist in order to excuse themselves from being an advocate for women’s rights. “Yes, but I think the whole equal pay thing is bogus,” “Yes, but I don’t support abortion” “Yes, but women have enough rights already.”
Those were just a few answers that have repeatedly shocked me into a coma, only revivable by Emma Watson and other defenders of equality. Being a feminist doesn’t mean you have embrace the bleed or free the nipple, it just means you believe women should be equal to men. All the extra little ‘buts’ that people tag on to the idea of feminism make it difficult for others to have confidence in their beliefs. Just because you do not believe in every single thing that organizations like the National Organization for Women are advocating for, does not mean you can not be a feminist. All you need to be a feminist, is to believe in equality.
As I happen to be someone with an XX chromosome pair these excuses do tend to offend me; however, at one point in my life I too was afraid to call myself the dreaded “F” word. I am no longer frightened by the label and now accept feminism as a reality and an important part of the world’s progress. It also helps that I threw my own ‘but’ out the window. My excuse was that women were better fitted to stay home and raise children. I thought that if you did not want to accept the latter as true then you should just not have children at all and somehow I thought that believing that meant I was not a feminist.
What I realized is that the choice that women now have, to either have kids or not have kids is due to feminism. In regards to a majority of women who disagree with feminists because they want to legalize abortion, the only way you (as a woman) can take a political stance against (or for) abortion is because of the advocacy of the feminists who came before us. As a female in 2016 I can vote for the next president, I can go to college, I can get divorced, I can have a job. All these things that seem like obvious civil liberties have not always been an option for women. Without the work of women like Alice Paul, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who devoted their lives to being “feminists”, I would not be able to write this article or even be taken seriously as a person.
Do I support abortion? Do I think women are fit to be in the armed forces? Do I really believe the men in the workforce are getting paid more than me? Honestly, my answers to those questions do not matter. What matters is that I believe that people, regardless of their gender, race or religious beliefs should all be allowed the same opportunities and the same choices. If a woman (or man) wants to stay home with the babies that is their decision. I am a feminist because I believe their is a choice to be had. I accept the label because I believe in equality. You shouldn’t be afraid to call yourself a feminist either unless you flat out believe that women should stay in the kitchen and make sandwiches till the end of time. But trust me, we will likely run out of sandwich meat before the world ends.
Way to make it to the end of this article! Here are some pictures of some openly feminist celebrities:
Amy Poehler:
Benedict Cumberbatch:
Jennifer Lawrence:
Ellen Page:
Beyoncé:
Patrick Stewart:
If these guys aren't afraid of the "F" word, you shouldn't be either.
