Wednesday, April 19, 2006
What's that you're wearing? Are you a feminist?
As often happens, Mom-101 wrote a very interesting post today. Her thesis is that we should reclaim the word "feminism" as a positive term. Thank you, Mom-101 for rallying the web.
Over time, feminism is something that has defied universal description. Did it mean that you hated men? Did it mean that you didn't shave your legs or like nice jewelry? Did it mean that you grew your own vegetables and spent a fortune on bras because you were forever burning them? Equal rights? How can we grant equal rights to girls? They might get drafted.
Obviously, the ideals embodied in the word "feminism" will look different on different individuals. To believe that women are as equally entitled as men, that they can be anything that they wish, that they are not impaired in any way for having been born female -- these are ideals that the entire movement can share, even if from woman to woman you find those who do and don't wear makeup, those who do and don't worry about their weight, those who do and don't prefer the opposite sex for a partner, those who do and don't stay at home with their kids.
It's shouldn't be such devisive term.
I am a feminist. My husband is a feminist. My daughter is one too. And I'm going to resist the urge to qualify those statements. I think that is what Mom-101 was all about.
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5 comments:
I saw a great bumper sticker just the other day that said, "Feminism: The radical idea that women should be treated like human beings."
Amen! (Er, maybe I shouldn't say that as I'm not religious? Whatever.)
I totally agree!! I hate when people have said to me, "How can you be a feminist? You're married!" And I just think, what does THAT have to do with anything??!! Being a feminist is all about knowing that Women Rock and being proud of it! I think that it's a topic that should not be ignored or discounted, because there are still WAY too many "boys'clubs," out there.
Glad I gave you a little food for thought there - and thanks for returning the favor. I really love hearing all these different voices with different takes on the topic. I mean hell, if it weren't for feminism, none of us would be here right now, at least not without asking our husbands' permission first.
I love that bumpersticker. Considering some of the comments coming from rightwing talk radio (Limbaugh, Savage, etc.) regarding the recent Duke rape scandal, it's kind of obvious that anything that calls for women to be treated with any inkling of respect is considered dirty and arrogant.
If anyone has a problem with feminism, fuck them and let them eat chips.
yay! me too!
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