"Feminism" is a word that often sparks controversy among different groups on social media and seems to have a different meaning to everyone. The dictionary definition is "the social, political and economic equality of the sexes," which I'm not sure many would outright disagree with. But it seems like there are huge amounts of people who have been exposed to feminism in such a way that it's left a bad taste in their mouth.
Take, for example, the Meninist Twitter account. "Meninism" gained popularity by portraying all feminists as crazed, man-hating monsters, and essentially represented an anti-feminist countermovement. I see people, both male and female, in Meninist t-shirts all the time at school, and it's offensive, honestly.
How dare you take a serious issue like the fact that society has created a system where anyone who isn't a straight white cisgender male is at a fundamental disadvantage and make light of it? You're laughing in the faces of the people who fought and lost their lives for civil liberties (ever heard of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, or Eleanor Roosevelt?). So I hope your shirt makes you feel very clever, because to the rest of us, you look like a waste of air.
Feminism isn't just a yes or no issue, though. With gender equality, you have to approach things correctly as well. In order to be "doing feminism right," you have to first believe in it and then implement it in the right way. For example, take Taylor Swift, everyone's favorite convenient feminist.
The idea of "convenient feminism" is that you assume that straight, white, able-bodied, cisgender women are the default, and only cater your "activism" to them. In other words, you speak out against injustices only if they happen to apply to you. In order to do any good, feminism must apply to everyone, regardless of class, body type, race, religion, sexuality, gender identity, etc.
This has been a huge problem with other celebrities as well (see: Meghan Trainor, Chloë Grace Moretz, Lena Dunham, and tons of others). Unfortunately, when you elevate people to demigod status, as we do to many celebrities, some of them begin to assume everyone has the same opportunities as they do.
But not all celebrities are idiots with more Twitter followers than they know what to do with. Some of them are actually repeatedly hitting home runs in the areas of activism. For instance, take Mark Ruffalo, the actor/activist who posted this to his Tumblr in response to the "I am not a feminist" Internet phenomenon:
“First of all, it’s clear you don’t know what feminism is. But I’m not going to explain it to you. You can google it. To quote an old friend, “I’m not the feminist babysitter.”
But here is what I think you should know.
You’re insulting every woman who was forcibly restrained in a jail cell with a feeding tube down her throat for your right to vote, less than 100 years ago.
You’re degrading every woman who has accessed a rape crisis center, which wouldn’t exist without the feminist movement.
You’re undermining every woman who fought to make marital rape a crime (it was legal until 1993).
You’re spitting on the legacy of every woman who fought for women to be allowed to own property (1848). For the abolition of slavery and the rise of the labor union. For the right to divorce. For women to be allowed to have access to birth control (Comstock laws). For middle and upper class women to be allowed to work outside the home (poor women have always worked outside the home). To make domestic violence a crime in the US (It is very much legal in many parts of the world). To make workplace sexual harassment a crime.
In short, you know not what you speak of. You reap the rewards of these women’s sacrifices every day of your life. When you grin with your cutesy sign about how you’re not a feminist, you ignorantly spit on the sacred struggle of the past 200 years. You bite the hand that has fed you freedom, safety, and a voice.
In short, kiss my ass, you ignorant little jerks.”
Wow. I couldn't have summed it up better if I tried for the next week. In one Tumblr post, Mark made the point I started writing this article to make: feminism is necessary. Historical feminists revolutionized the world and provided us with many of the rights we all benefit from today, but the fight is not over yet. Statistically, women still make a significant amount less than men for equal work. We tell little boys not to cry because it's not "manly," and we tell little girls that if they don't act "lady-like," they'll never find a husband, as though that's the greatest thing a woman could ever achieve. There's even a whole blog dedicated to unnecessarily gendered products.
We need feminism because no one should be at an inherent disadvantage based on gender, sexuality, or disability. We need feminism because on average, 20 people experience abuse at the hand of an intimate partner every minute. We need feminism because Brock Turner spent three months in jail for rape of an unconscious woman thanks to his potential swimming career.
We need feminism because, thanks to the many industries fueled by female insecurity, it took me 16 years to learn to love myself. We need feminism precisely because there are those who think we don't.
