Strong inside but you don't know it
Good little girls they never show it
When you open up your mouth to speak
Could you be a little weak?...
When you're trying hard to be your best
Could you be a little less?
-Madonna
I am a feminist.
How does reading that sentence make you feel? Did you cringe? Did you roll your eyes and say to yourself, "Oh, God?" Do you think you now know just what kind of a person I am because of it and what you think is not flattering? Why? What is it about the world feminist that make people react negativity to it? Being called a feminist these days seems to be just as bad as being called a racist. How did that happen? I don't know how many time I've either heard or read a statement about something that has to do with women begin with the words, "I'm not a feminist but...," and then goes on to say something that is actually pro-women.
One definition of the word feminism is, "the theory of political, economical, and social equality of the sexes." I thinks this means a feminist is anyone who believes that women are entitled to the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as men politically, economically, and socially.
A lot of people today seem to be confused about just what a feminist is and are quick to say they are not one. I hate to tell you this but your dirty little secret is out. You, all of you, no matter how much you protest, are most likely secret feminists:
1. If you believe that women have the right to vote, you are a feminist.
2. If you are a woman and have ever voted in any political election, you are a feminist.
3. If you think women should have the right to run for any political office, you are a feminist.
4. If you are a woman and hold a political position (no matter what anti-feminist views you spout), you are a feminist.
5. If you are a man and hold a political position along with a group of others elected officials that includes women (no matter what anti-feminist views you spout), you are a feminist.
6. If you ever voted for a woman, you are a feminist.
7. If you think women should be allowed to work outside the home, you are a feminist.
8. If you thought, "What do you mean, 'be allowed'," when you read the above sentence, you are a feminist.
9. If you are a woman and work outside the home, you are a feminist.
10. If you think women can run a business just as well as men, you are a feminist.
11. If you are a woman and run a business, you are a feminist.
12. If you think both sexes should be paid the same wage if both are doing the same type of work, you are a feminist.
13. If you think women have the right to work at any job they are physically, emotionally or intellectually able to do, you are a feminist.
14. If you think a woman's ability to do a job should be based on her abilities and not her gender, you are a feminist.
15. If you think women have the right to own property, you are a feminist.
16. If you think girls (including your own daughter) should be sent to school the same as boys, you are a feminist.
17. If you think girls (including your own daughter) should be taught to read and write the same as boys, you are a feminist.
18. If you think young woman (including your own daughter) should be allowed to attend college the same as young men, you are a feminist.
19. If you are a woman and attend or graduated from a college, you are a feminist.
20. If you are a parent and sent your daughter to college, you are a feminist.
21. If you think women have the right to decide for themselves whether or not they have children, you are a feminist.
I could go on but I won't. Being a feminist has nothing to do with using the same bathrooms as men, being a bitch, being a lesbian, being uppity, hating men, or wanting to be a man; all things I have heard said about feminists. As I said back at the beginning of this post, I think a feminist is anyone who believes that women are entitled to the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as men politically, economically, and socially. Anything less is discrimination.
No comments:
Post a Comment