Hey everyone, another guest post from Adriana!
What does a feminist look like?
A lesbian, who doesn’t shave her armpits, and screams about
how “men suck!”…right?
Wrong, actually. I am a feminist. And yes, sometimes I
prefer to shower every couple of days and shaving is usually a tremendous success
for me, but my hygiene routine has nothing to do with my beliefs on gender
equality. In my opinion, feminism has received a bad name in the media. Instead
of “feminism” being a word describing determination, strength, courage, and
equality, it has become a word to describe bitchiness, loudness, annoyance, and
a joke.
The real definition of feminism is the desire for the complete
equality of men and women. That’s it. No gimmicks. No men hating. Just
equality! Not so extreme, right?
Although this stress-free definition is the true meaning of
feminism, women and men seem afraid to label themselves as it because of the
stereotypes. Well, I’ve decided that my life will be best served if I stand up
for what’s important to me and to society. If I, a relatively “normal” person,
can identify as a feminist, then hopefully others won’t be so afraid to join
the cause.
You might be wondering… “What is there to fight for? Aren’t
we equal? Hey, we have voting rights!” True, my friends. But there is still a
lot of ground we need to cover. And in my opinion, it’s the small things that
individual people have the power to change! For example, if you’re a woman…Do
you ever feel worried about walking alone at night because you’re wearing a
short skirt? Do you casually omit your opinions in front of guys out of fear of
rejection? Do you hear “feminine” terms used as derogatory insults for men? Do
you feel as though your worth is your body, in the eyes of men and the media? These
are small examples that I’ve noticed from my life. All I want is to feel safe,
respected, and validated as a person.
I want to embrace the term “feminism” to shatter the glass
ceiling for women in all domains of life. Women and men should be able to pursue
whatever brings them happiness. Although women face critiques in the public and
private spheres often, men also have a role to fulfill: a tough, autonomous, “masculine”
demeanor. If men represent any kind of emotional competence, automatically they
will be considered homosexual. The small boxes of masculinity and femininity
create unhappiness because they are unattainable standards. I try to use my
knowledge of feminism to promote acceptance of all behaviors of men and women,
without the strict guidelines of masculinity and femininity.
Summary on how to use our gender knowledge:
Adriana
Some interesting videos and websites:
- Accept the behaviors and activities of men and women (ex. Little boys learning ballet, fuck yeah! Adult women taking control of their sexuality, rock on!)
- Feminism is the desire for the complete equality of men and women! (Promote this accurate definition. If you’re interested in learning more, the links below are awesome and interesting resources!)
- Do you. Don’t let gender restrictions control your life. Act the way you feel and eventually the dichotomous gender boundaries will start to blur, and society will begin to accept all forms of identity expression.
Adriana
Some interesting videos and websites:
No comments:
Post a Comment