The Feminism Project: Part Four

I'm so excited to share the fourth part of my Feminism Project! The point of this series is to present the differing views on feminism! If you haven't seen the first parts of my project, check out my introduction, LM's views on anti-feminism and Clara's pseudo-feminist post! In this final guest post, my sweet friend Nikita will be sharing her pro-feminism views! As always, feel free to use this space for respectful debate, but hateful comments will be reported and deleted!

When I was ten years old, I developed a slight fascination with Eleanor Roosevelt and her role in the development of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.  I remember coming across one of her quotes, which still remains one of my favourites:

Feeling inspired, empowered, and ready to share the words with anybody who would listen, I showed the quote to one of my friends.  Laughing, she said to me, “That’s so funny!”

“What’s so funny?” I inquired.

“It’s just weird,” she responded.

Feeling dejected, I didn’t pursue the conversation further.  Maybe it was a little weird to be discussing Eleanor Roosevelt as a fifth grader.  In my mind, however, I couldn’t stop thinking about how discerning her quote was.  Perhaps now her words might seem to suggest that only women discover their strength during trying times.  However, I think it was intended as a reflection of the times in which she lived, an era that saw women struggling to assert themselves.

Fast forward seven years.  I am sitting in my Advanced Placement English class, when the topic of feminism comes up.  A few of the boys in the class become visibly uncomfortable with the subject, citing the stereotypical “bra-burning, man-hating” feminists who “want to wreak havoc on society.”  My teacher, however, boldly declares in her characteristically graceful way, “I would consider myself a feminist.”  Most of the class seems stunned; I am secretly beaming.  She then proceeds to explain that feminism, the true essence of feminism, is not about women asserting dominance, but instead about eliminating any form of domination.  “And even though it seems like men and women are treated equally today,” she says, tearing up, “it’s still so unfair.”    

Richard A. Epstein once called feminism, “the single most important social movement of our time, one that addresses every aspect of human and social life.”  It is for this reason that today, whenever I am asked about my stance on feminism, I respond with an affirmative, “Yes, I am a feminist.” People often appear surprised that I do not qualify it with, “…but I don’t hate men,” or “…but I’m not opposed to women adhering to traditional gender roles.”  I don’t add these qualifications because they are already inextricably tied into the crux of feminism; therefore, to repeat them would be redundant.

Feminism is an ideology constructed upon a foundation of choice and fairness.  Unfortunately, it is true that some women who deem themselves feminists believe that women are superior to men.  Yes – some individuals who claim to be feminists look down upon women who prefer traditional gender roles.  However, I don’t believe that the label of feminist is an accurate depiction of these ideologues.  A distinction should be made between the person making the claim and the theory of feminism itself.  To suggest that women are superior to men is not a true reflection of feminism, but is instead a reflection of a particular individual’s intolerant belief system.  Feminism is not about being both a career and family woman, but having the option to be.  Individuals who understand the theory of feminism itself – and can distinguish this theory from the people who throw its name around carelessly – realize that whether a mother has a career is not, and should not be, a basis of judgment of her value. 

Every political or social movement has its extreme, or “intolerant” voices.  The closer one veers to the extreme ends of the political spectrum, whether to the left or the right, the easier it becomes to experience intolerance.  The case with feminism is no exception; radical feminists are more likely to be characterized as supremacists than liberal feminists, although characterizing all radical feminists as intolerant is inaccurate.  Personally, I identify most strongly with liberal feminism, because I feel that the center of the feminism spectrum is most tolerant, and most fosters collaboration and the efficient exchange of ideas.  Yes, individuals who call themselves feminists will have slightly different ideas of what feminism entails.  But isn’t that the case with every ideology?  There is individual variance within political parties, for example, yet that variance very rarely forms the basis for the rejection of the ideology itself. 

I describe myself as a feminist unabashedly because rejecting the word “feminism,” would perpetuate the negative connotation unfairly and erroneously associated with it.  To reject feminism as a philosophy because of intolerant voices is analogous to rejecting environmentalism because of the tactics of intolerant protestors, or to reject an entire religion because of intolerant fundamentalists.  I don’t think that the movement of feminism should be rejected because specific individuals who consider themselves feminist are intolerant.  There is a danger in considering “feminism” a stigmatized word – the ideas of feminism become marred along with it. 

It is also easy to forget that feminism as a movement is incredibly young.  Over one hundred years have passed since the first wave of feminism, but this period of time pales in comparison to the many centuries of patriarchal society that preceded the 1900s.  Giving up on feminism now because our society seems relatively fair – particularly in comparison to the era preceding the 20^th century – is perilous.  Feminism is more strongly needed than may be initially apparent for all members of society.  Women are not the only people who benefit from feminism – men do too.  Both men and women are still subjected to unfair double standards.  Furthermore, women in other nations are still heavily bound by the chains of inequality.  To give up on the feminist movement now could potentially undo a century’s worth of progress.  Perhaps this sounds hyperbolic, but it is not unrealistic – women’s rights are still a hotly debated topic in the political world today.

Ultimately, the first wave of feminism is the reason I can vote; the second wave of feminism is the reason why I can speak and be heard; and the third wave of feminism is the reason why I can be who I am, and strive to be who I want to be.  As a feminist, I have a responsibility to stay true to the purpose of the movement itself, for the betterment of society as a whole.  I am a feminist, not merely for the interests of my sister and myself, but also for the interests of my brother.  “Because,” as Gloria Steinem once wrote, “the idea is, in the long run, that women’s liberation will be men’s liberation, too.”