A Response to Women Against Feminism

By Emily Reid on July 25, 2017

In January, the largest single-day protest in American history happened. This march made headlines for multiple reasons, not the least being that it was a grassroots organization for and by women — it was an unprecedented victory for girls everywhere.

My heart was filled with hope that maybe people were finally getting this whole feminism thing. Less than 12 hours later, I logged onto Facebook to see that three more girls I followed had reposted the infamous,“I Am a Female and I Am So Over Feminists” Odyssey article. This blog wasn’t new, and it had come across my feed countless times before. But this time was different. Inspired by the Women’s March, I knew it was finally time to say something.

I was fortunate to grow up in a family that didn’t believe I deserved less in life because I was a girl. I have a dad who wasn’t heartbroken but excited when all three of his children were female. I have a mom who taped pictures on our fridge of women leaders, like Malala, Arianna Huffington, and of course Oprah. My two older sisters taught me to always stand up for what is right, even if you’re standing alone.

I was encouraged to join organizations like Women’s Foundation of Greater Kansas City, which fostered my passion for women’s rights. I pity the anti-feminism girls because I know they missed out on exposure like mine — but I know it’s not too late. Being a feminist has always seemed uncomplicated to me. Men and women are equal, they deserve equal rights, ergo I am a feminist. But it seems recently this leap has become too big of one, even for girls. If there’s one thing I know for sure it is that this has to stop.

I’ve come to realize that oftentimes, people don’t really know what feminism is. Their view on feminism has been skewed by pictures of shirtless women screaming, or girls claiming to be superior to men. And I’m not naïve enough to say these things don’t happen or that they don’t happen under the guise of feminism.

But this isn’t feminism —  it’s misandrism — and it’s not what the feminist movement supports. If anything, feminism is the opposite of man hating. Feminism is giving everyone the opportunity to feel emotional, and feel strong, no matter what gender you were born.

But many people know what feminism means, they just don’t support it because they view it as outdated, or not needed in a 21st-centuryworld. I’d like to address this view on a world basis first.

I would love for you to say that feminism isn’t needed to the Afghanistan woman who was just burned with acid. I encourage you to tell the 90 percent of women in Congo who have been raped that equal rights have been “shoved down our throats.” Go ahead and complain about the “crazy feminist agenda” to the 3-year-old girl who was just genitally mutilated in Yemen. Violence against women is one of the biggest problems facing our world today.

Unfortunately, it isn’t necessary to address sexism on a worldview, because we have enough of it in our backyard. In America, where “women have never been more respected,” girls have a 1 in 5 chance of being raped. A woman working a middle-class job for 40 years will miss out on $440,000 because of a pesky little thing called the wage gap.

If you believe that inequality doesn’t exist, then maybe you don’t realize how far it extends. Every time a little boy is excused from violent or crude behavior because “boys will be boys,” sexism wins. Every time a girl is told that she shouldn’t pursue a degree in science or is told to stop playing in the mud because it “isn’t ladylike,” then sexism wins.

To all women who believe that they don’t need feminism, I would like to inform you that you do. You need feminism because there is not a country in the world that can yet say they provide equal opportunities for men and women. If you believe that you have not experienced inequality, and you think that you are “okay,” then you don’t know how wrong you are.

Maybe you’re right, maybe you do live in an equal society. If this is true then please — show me. But first, know that this didn’t happen on accident. If you think you don’t need feminism, then I congratulate you. I also congratulate feminism. Because this means, somewhere we have won. And if you are a woman who has the right to own a house, go to work, and receive an education then you need to check your privilege. These rights were not given to you, they were won through blood, sweat, and tears from the feminists before you. And when you say you don’t need feminism, it is an outright insult to every woman who walked before you and paved your way.

If you believe we should stop fighting because we have already come a long way, ask yourself this: where would we be if the suffrage movement had stopped fighting after the slaves were free? Or after they won the right to vote? Where would America be if we had only fought for smaller taxes under the British?

The gay rights movement didn’t stop protesting when they were allowed to get domestic partnerships. The feminist battle has come a long way, but our war has not yet been won. And if you still don’t believe in the movement, if you feel that you don’t need it, then don’t fight for yourself. Fight for the girls who are born every minute into countries that will persecute, maim, and kill them because of something that was biologically random. Think of those girls every time you laugh and say, “Oh I am so over feminists.”

I truly hope this Women Against Feminism movement is rooted in ignorance. I fear it isn’t. Ignorance can be fixed, but selfishness cannot.

theodysseyonline.com

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