Let me start out by saying that I do consider myself a feminist. I believe in equal rights, and a woman’s ability to become successful through hard-work, and the belief that no gender has power over another, and many other valuable concepts that should simply be common sense to humans. That’s the thing, though—feminism should be common sense to not only women, but men as well. But instead, feminism has taken on a negative connotation over the past years, used as an insult and said with a sting. Why would such an important idea be dragged through the mud?
Because some individuals have taken the term too far. When my brother was walking into school one day, he, being the southern gentleman he is, held the door open for a girl nearby who was planning to use the same entrance as him. Instead of the polite “thank you” most people would have given, the girl walked through quickly, yelled that as a feminist and woman she didn’t need any man’s help, and swiftly slammed the door in his face. I’m sorry, but since when did chivalry become misogyny? Maybe it’s because I’m from the South and holding doors is what everyone does, men and women, but this event seemed a little extreme.
Gentlemen, don’t get the wrong idea. I still want you to hold my doors for me if your heart so desires, and I’ll hold the door for you, too, every once in a while. Just don’t stop doing those little acts of kindness because a small group of “feminists” see it as an act of asserting dominance.
Feminism gets a bad rep not only from the extremists, but from some of the big names in news and social media today. Let’s take a look at the troubled campaign trail of Hillary Clinton. Email and Benghazi scandals pushed aside, Clinton has been pulling the “woman” card just to win votes. I’m all for powerful women and helping other hard working women towards their goals, but I also don’t think I should be guilted into this support. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, a noted feminist and Clinton supporter, told young women in New Hampshire as she was introducing Clinton that “We can tell our story of how we climbed the ladder, and a lot of you younger women think it’s done. It’s not done. There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other!” Oddly enough, a scare tactic is not going to be what sways my vote in Hillary’s direction.
And insults aren’t the way to secure my vote, either. While Albright’s famous quote was one thing, Gloria Steinem pulled an entirely different trick out of her hat. This feminist began by saying women get more radical as they grow older, and then claimed young women voters are basically boy crazy. She explained that “when you’re young, you’re thinking: ‘Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie.” Yes, of course, young girls are voting for a 74-year-old man because of their physical attraction to him, that theory makes perfect sense.
So forgive me when I say that this November, Hillary won’t be the name on my ballot. But I don’t think I’ll be visiting that special place in Hell, and I won’t have Bernie pictures plastered on my wall.
Feminism today has become absorbed in the idea of women sticking together and becoming independent, and while both of those things are great, I don’t think they were meant to meet the extremes they sometimes do today. Many individuals have turned their backs on feminism because of the extreme images the word provokes. But we as individuals and as a community should support equality and the original ideals of feminism. Instead of fueling the bad reputation of feminism, we should start building a new one and remind people what it really means to stand for equal rights.
