I don't know about you, but I'm feeling kinda blue
<about feminism>
<<in the United States>>
In other countries, it seems like feminism hinges on gender equality in sectors such as human rights (take North Africa for example, where women can get stoned to death for committing adultery but men are often let go after paying a fine, or enduring no punishment at all) or the ability to do basic things like drive or vote (I'm talking about you, Saudi Arabia and Vatican City.)
Meanwhile, in the United States, it seems like the only portion of the feminist movement that the media advertises is sexuality alone. #freethenipple. #stopslutshaming. #loveyourlines.
WE GET IT.We the women, of the United States, get that the masses have always shined the spotlight on all things sexy. But feminism is way more than eliminating a double standard on sexual conventions or defying traditional beauty norms. Why isn't #freethefive as popular as #freethenipple? Domestic violence is as grave an issue here in the States as it is in China, and there are plenty of people working to ensure that women aren't stuck in horrible situations that their husbands/boyfriends/partners/parents put them in. Why aren't these advocates receiving the same amount of attention in the media? And let's not forget female ageism in the workplace - #olderwomenvoices is a movement that gets neglected in social media simply because its proponents didn't grow up knowing how to use Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter to further their cause. Does that mean that we shouldn't stand up for women as they get older? Do they simply become irrelevant and useless because they got a few more wrinkles as life went on?
THE ANSWER IS NO.
Wrinkles are battle scars that are just as powerful as stretch marks, but they're not receiving attention because media chooses to be stuck on the old adage of "sex sells." There are facets of feminism that deserve way more attention than they are getting, and it's up to us as women to put our feminist intentions into action by bringing the heavier issues to light in a male-dominated world. It's pretty ironic that even when we want to eliminate double standards and prove that women are more than just sex objects and deserve to be treated accordingly, the only efforts that get any social media coverage are the ones that deal with us as sex objects. Some might make the argument that because we are one of the richest countries in the developed world, we have all our basic needs taken care of and we can afford to allocate our efforts to sexual equality. What do these people have to say to the fact that 1 in 5 women continue to be raped, 18.3 million continue to be stalked, and many more continue to be beaten, denied equal pay, or marginalized even in the simplest of institutions - all right here in the United States? (Check this and this if you don't believe me. I promise, these are not the made-up statistics; it's the heartbreaking truth.)
Priorities, people. Maybe we can worry about legally flashing people on the streets after we've made unequal pay in the workplace a distant memory.
Women have brains, and feelings, and issues that run deeper than the right to bare our stretch marks with pride (which is a freedom we had back in caveman days; can we even call it progress to just go full-circle?) We deserve media coverage that is as intelligent and insightful as we are, that highlights our struggles instead of our skins, and that actually makes a difference outside of the social networking realm.
Let's share this article and get some much-needed support for the areas of feminism that actually have the capacity to improve the lives of suffering women, instead of the areas that cater to the fancies of men in the media.
