I am not a feminist. Yes, I believe in equal pay, opportunity and respect for all individuals in the world. That being said, as a woman, I have set up the expectation that I won’t get all the benefits of life in our society that men do. However, our culture is changing and there are things we can all do to further this process along; and yet, I still don’t consider myself a feminist.
It’s important to note that there are many different types of feminism and that the term has been used since the late 1800s. However, feminism today is very different than it once was. There are many different ideas and beliefs the umbrella term “feminism” takes on, and with that comes misconceptions and clashing beliefs. Today, feminism is often politicized and used to further political agendas. I’m not saying that’s wrong by any means, but I prefer to keep my identity outside the realm of politics because anything can be manipulated and misconstrued and I like to stay under the radar.
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As a white, middle class, straight female I am plenty aware that I have way more opportunities than a lot of other people, but I’ll quietly fight to make sure that someday we will all have fair opportunities that don’t lessen when considering one’s race, gender, sexuality, etc. Being a woman automatically puts me into a community with all other women in the world. Community is extremely important. We all know there is strength in numbers, but individuality is also extremely important. There is beauty to variety! We are not all the same. Therefore, what I see as self-empowering is much different than how my sister feels self-empowered.
Humans are largely flawed beings and we all make mistakes every single day, but we are unique and beautiful and have the power to create a world of change. We need individuality, so why am I saying feminism and individuality don’t work harmoniously? My answer is another question: Why do we have so many sub-groups of feminism? Every time enough women decide they really feel differently about feminism they break apart and add a qualifying term before feminist/ism. My theory is that people think they can only create change or feel powerful if the people in their community agree on an issue and strategy to tackle it. However, no one person is going to completely agree with another, but we join these communities because we need to feel powerful. Of course there can be individuality within a community, but not everybody is a joiner and not everybody can stay in one community forever. We are always changing and learning new things, so you can jump from one community to the next, or you can take a step back.
Taking the time to witness the world on your own and critically think about it without the pressure or influence of a community that expects you to think a certain way is the key to self-realization and discovery. I believe in feminism by nature, but only on my own terms, which are ever changing as I grow older and become more aware. If you believe in fair opportunity for everyone and value the beauty every person holds within themselves, you aren’t feminist-- you’re just a decent human being. Embrace what it means to be beautiful flawed, unique, and human. That’s the greatest community of them all.
