Feminism has had one solid definition since it’s genesis. As defined by Webster it is: belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.Although it’s definition remains steadfast, the way we apply feminism changes with each evolution of social and political trends.
Feminism has been viewed as an extremist belief since it’s birth, but to be clear feminism is just apart of being a decent human being. It’s more than women’s rights, it’s basic human rights.
Which is why to be a human being and to disconnect yourself from feminism by claiming that you “do not advocate for feminism” is practically a way of publicly proclaiming your ignorance. With this statement you say a hundred different things. This includes, but is not limited to, the idea that you believe women should not receive equal education, should not have equal pay, should not be seen as beings independent of their significance to a man.
We teach girls that they’re place is anywhere that is lesser. We ingrain it into their minds that no matter who they choose to be, they must fit themselves into a box. We teach them to be small so that other’s can feel big. We let them know these things as girls so that when they become women they can “know their place”. But we need to teach them instead that their interests and passions do not need to fit into a narrow definition of what’s “ladylike”.
And what exactly is “ladylike”? Isn’t it just a phrase we use to say that we disapprove of a female’s actions. Instead of saying “I don’t agree with your actions.” we say “That’s not very ladylike.” As if the only thing at the forefront of every woman’s mind should be to act like a lady, to plan your actions based on if they’re feminine enough to gain approval.
Approval, which by the way, is so elusive it’s practically a figment of the imagination. There is no such thing as approval. The makeup industry, the media, designers all thrive off the disapproval women feel towards themselves. If women felt beautiful and powerful and comfortable there would be no profit. Makeup wouldn’t be needed to fix “flaws”, magazines wouldn’t sell with headlines like “lose 20 pounds in 20 days”.
Even events of high school tradition impose anti-feminist ideals upon us. Every girl grows up wishing to be Prom Queen, Seventeen Magazine daydreams cultivate the perfect dress with just the right shoes. But how superficial is it to lay a crown on a girl’s head because the color of her dress compliments her skin tone, because her beauty is superior to that of other girls? While we elevate one girls confidence with a plastic headpiece we drain others by inadvertently saying that they just didn’t quite hit the mark.
Down to it’s core, feminism is about acceptance. It’s rejecting the idea that a woman can’t be more than one thing. A woman can be funny and intelligent and pretty and interesting and passionate and determined and any other thing she chooses to be just like any man can be. So once again to say that you do not advocate for feminism is wrong. To say that you do not advocate for feminism is to be uneducated. As feminists we are not asking to destroy men, we are only asking for the same respect and opportunity that men have received throughout all of history.