This is What a Feminist Looks Like
October 26, 2009 • By Meredith Burns and Elizabeth Hogan,
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Bra Burners Stereotype No Longer Applicable
Do you believe in equality? Do you believe that people should be able to make decisions about their own bodies? Do you believe that men and women should be paid the same? If you answered yes, you just might be a feminist.
Don’t be fooled by misleading rhetoric or trite myths. Despite recent press, real feminism is not dead. Feminism is not about sitting around complaining, it’s about choice and achieving equality. A feminist is simply someone who supports true equality for everyone. However, many stereotypes about feminism and feminists exist. To clear some things up, bras were not burned and feminists aren’t hairy Sasquatches intent on destroying men. The feminists of the 1960s and 1970s were known as second wave feminists, and some of these were “radical” due to the need for a revolt against the entrenched sexism and systematic oppression of women in that era. Indeed, many elements of that sexism still exist. But, the movement has changed, as have the people, creating the third wave. They place greater focus on multiculturalism, class differences, the role of racism, LGBT rights and the rights of women all over the world.
Those anti-feminist myths are meant to distract people from the bigger picture of systematic oppression. We live in a system with an unequal balance of power. This hegemonic system is known as patriarchy in which women, minorities, LGBT folk, etc. comprise the subordinate groups. By distracting oppressed groups with insignificant issues or debates, we allow ourselves to ignore the issues really concerning feminists: domestic abuse and sexual assault, inequitable wages, human trafficking, feminization of poverty, reproductive freedom, discrimination and segregation in the workplace, and education. In such a system, no one wins.
We must realize our personal actions have far-reaching consequences and are results of a larger system at work. When one woman is raped, it is not solely the rapist’s fault, but that man playing into society’s hyper-masculine role coupled with the overall devaluation and objectification of women. The combination of all institutions — the media, science, education, religion, advertising — devalues, objectifies and dehumanizes women. The process of stripping individuals of power transforms them into objects for male violence. In societies where women have higher social status and value, the occurrence of rape is much lower. Men are not inherently bad, but rather, the system of patriarchy is harmful for everyone. In fact, women usually indoctrinate their children into patriarchy. We all play roles within this system, which is why we must all take action.
If one really wants to know what a feminist looks like, he or she should consider taking women’s studies courses and joining feminist organizations on campus such as CARE, NOW, Sister Speak, Her Two Cents or the Take Back the Night Coalition. Feminists are not a homogenous group with a monolithic doctrine but rather diverse individuals who believe in equal human rights for men and women with differing perspectives on how to achieve that goal. Both the stay-at-home mom and the Fortune 500 CEO can be feminists.
Apathy toward such rampant inequality has to end. We must stand strong in our convictions without compromising ourselves, or our ultimate pursuit of equality, on an issue much bigger than us. We must empower ourselves and one another, recognizing our actions and those of others as the deciding factor in whether or not we maintain this system. Awareness of our choices and the ability to choose what is right on an individual basis must be raised to a larger scale. Ultimately, we must ask ourselves, what do I want for myself, for my children and for the world? If equality is the answer, then you too can say, “This is what a feminist looks like.”
Meredith Burns is a senior anthropology major. Elizabeth Hogan is a senior history major.
Contact Meredith Burns at burns.meredith@gmail.com
Contact Elizabeth Hogan at hoganel@jmu.edu
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10 Responses to “This is What a Feminist Looks Like”
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“When one woman is raped, it is not solely the rapist’s fault, but that man playing into society’s hyper-masculine role coupled with the overall devaluation and objectification of women.”
So male individuals are not responsible for their deplorable behavior because society feeds them crap. I guess the next time someone wrecks a car because they are driving too fast, it will be the manufacturer’s fault because their commercial depicted a driver speeding down the road in that same model?
And apparently the objectification of women is totally men’s fault? It would seem, according to this position, that women don’t CHOOSE to dress in risque, revealing, completely immodest clothing for the sole purpose of attracting men’s sexual attention–I guess clothing manufacturers produce nothing but this garbage so women are forced to dress as such. I also suppose that women who get completely smashed at a party, thus making themselves willingly and knowingly vulnerable to improper advances, are just at the mercy of Coors and Miller and other male-dominated corporations who want to strip women of any decision-making power.
There may be power-struggles in society today, but the situation comes down to personal responsibility. It’s tempting to blame “the system,” but “the system” is made up of individual people with individual choices, decisions and actions–men and women alike–who must take responsibility appropriately.
Additionally, I repeat my argument from your previous (and similar) letter: telling people to check out NOW and other organizations does not help your assertion that feminists are wide-reaching and all-encompassing. NOW and its buddies are considerably more liberal that the majority of American females (I can provide stats if you’d like, but I’ll hold off for now). The fortune 500 female and the stay-at-home mom may have similar “feminist” values or they may not. You attempt to define a feminist as “simply someone who supports true equality for everyone.” Yet I think you (and most “feminist” organizations) would dispute the idea that an unborn child deserves equality and protection under the law, which may females believe. Similarly, I would not support the notion that same-sex couples deserve to be “married” the same way as traditional couples, which you and many of your “feminist” friends obviously do. You wonder why so many women rebel against the concept of feminism, and it’s for the same reason you rebel against patriarchy: we’re tired of people speaking for us when they don’t know what we want.
I’m a liberal, but Kathryn makes great points. If feminists were looking out for the interests of all people, they would see injustice is both female and male circumcision. They would work to change the child custody policies that favor the mother over the father. They would recognize the unfair body standards for both sexes, the objectification of men in the way that many women today still expect husbands to be the providers for the families. Things like male prison rape and prostate cancer are fair game for comedians. Our justice system is more willing to put men to death than women for an equal crime. Men have to sign-up for the draft. In places where rape is used as a weapon, young boys are tortured and murdered as well. To say that their suffering is less than a rape victim’s is going to require some strong justification on the part of the feminists. Suicide rates are about 4 times higher among young men than young women. Having a Women’s Studies but not offering a Men’s Studies is not equal! I’m just trying to make a point that both sexes face problems in society and we could make more progress by focusing on HUMAN issues, not just those that concern a particular group.
@John. Because I can’t say it much better myself, here are some thoughts from “Finally, a Feminism 101 Blog”:
This question implies that one must be either one or the other. People and philosophies are far more complicated than that. A feminist may also be both a humanist and an equalist.
There’s no law that says only one box can be ticked here, and it’s hugely important not to get sucked into thinking that one choice excludes the others. A major reason that most populist debate in the corporate media (and in online forums too) is a pitiful sham is that way too many questions are argued on an either/or basis, instead of acknowledging the probability of a both/and stance. The either/or method of framing a debate is technically referred to as a “false dilemma” [more], and is one example of a logical fallacy.
As to why feminism requires a distinct agenda within the equalist movements? The special and distinct problem of misogyny both oppressing and directly harming women, pure and simple. Unless misogyny is directly addressed and acted against, general equalist activism will not be enough.
http://thisiswhatafeministlookslike.tumblr.com/
“They would recognize the unfair body standards for both sexes, the objectification of men in the way that many women today still expect husbands to be the providers for the families.” - We do. I think you are pigeonholing feminism in exactly the way that this article advises against. Most feminists I know are against male circumcision and believe that in custody battles, both parents deserve equal consideration. Feminism is *not* favoring women over men. Feminism is trying to bring women to the same cultural standing as men. There’s a long-standing historical tradition of men in the foreground and women in the background. You (John) ask why we don’t have men’s studies courses. Most courses are men’s studies! Women’s studies classes do things like seek out literature written by women. By reading things through a woman’s eyes, we can better understand what women think about themselves, and how they view the treatment they have received. In your average literature course, most of the assigned readings are by men and about men. In your average history course, most of the historical figures discussed are men. Our mainstream education platform is, essentially, “men’s studies.” Women’s studies programs look at an underrepresented group in society, and try to learn how to better represent them.
“In places where rape is used as a weapon, young boys are tortured and murdered as well. To say that their suffering is less than a rape victim’s is going to require some strong justification on the part of the feminists.” - Who ever said that the suffering of a tortured young boy is less than that of a rape victim? You say it will require strong justification “on the part of the feminists,” as if this is a common feminist argument, but I’ve never heard *anybody* say something so cruel. Yes, torture and murder happen, and yes, they are absolutely terrible. Nobody is denying that. You are putting words in our mouths - not just any words, but hurtful words. I’ve never met a feminist who believes it’s okay to torture and kill men as long as women aren’t getting raped. That’s an absolutely ridiculous claim and offensive to me not only as a woman and a feminist, but as a human.
kd,
I am not saying that Feminists think it’s OK to torture men. Please don’t put words in other people’s mouths by saying “don’t put words in OUR mouths,” as if the Feminists elected you to speak on their behalf.
Toper and kd,
If a Feminist is somebody who supports “true equality for everybody,” how are they any different from from a Humanist or an Equalist? The point I am making is that by calling yourself a Feminist, it implies that you have a special interest in issues regarding the female sex. If I call myself a Masculinist, I may still be concerned with issues involving women, but my main concern or focus is on male issues. Now if I say that I am a Masculinist that gives EQUAL attention to issues involving women, I am not a true Masculinist. If I care equally about both sexes, why choose to call myself a Masculinist over a Feminist? You have no way to choose because you are just as much a Feminist as you are a Masculinist. The two would be one in the same. If you all are Feminists AND Masculinists, as you are claiming to be, why not call the Feminist movement the Masculinist Movement? I propose you put the two titles in a hat and randomly pick one. “Masculinist” would fit just as well as “Feminist.” Or you could call yourself both, but that would be redundant and cause needless confusion. According to the “Feminists/Masculinists” that are commenting, you care equally about issues surrounding both sexes. Either admit that the Feminist Movement has a special interest and concern with issues involving females, or begin using the terms Masculinist and Feminist interchangeably. Or better yet, drop both terms and say that you are an individual concerned with human rights and injustices, no matter who they involve.
But I believe that some woman who claim to e Feminists would say that, though they do not think male injustice is permissible, their agenda is focused on female injustice.
Kathryn, did really just victim-blame in your post? Also, you are correct that NOW is generally liberal. But recent polls all show that college age men and especially women support equal rights for LGBT individuals and at least some form of abortion rights. That changes with an older demographic, but college age women are statistically more likely to be liberal.
John, injustice happens everywhere, to both women AND men. Men do suffer from unfair standards: men must be strong, they have to make lots of money, they should be circumcised, etc. Feminism, while focused on women, is not just about women. It’s about equality and justice for everyone.
John. Yes, it’s focused on Women, what’s the big deal? Women are underrepresented in society, literature, history, etc. Feminism includes but is not limited to the study of women’s thoughts and important female figures.
If you want men’s studies courses, then take a damn history class. If you want men to be treated fairly, THEN TREAT WOMEN FAIRLY. DUH. This is why they are arguing EQUALITY. Hello! Treat people the way you want to be treated, the golden rule, applies to everything. including equality between the sexes.
How does this not make sense to you? Geez.
Wow, you are very frustrated. You are all avoiding my point. Feminism has transformed into Humanism. The issue of male circumcision is not a Feminist issue. It is a Humanitarian issue. The old Feminists may have believed in equality for everybody, and thats all well and good, but they were focused on issues like birth control and suffrage, as they should have been. They had an agenda. In the year 2009, the Feminist “Movement” lacks organization, consistent definition, and clear goals. For example, what do feminists say about abortion? Whose a better Feminist, Clinton or Palin? There are no clear agreements and no issues as there was with the issue of suffrage. I think you just want to hold onto the name because of what it stood for. All Humanists are also Feminists. I hold every view that the Feminists have regarding equality, I respect the Women’s Studies Department, and I think the topics and issues are worth learning about. The point is, Humanism is a group for all humans, Masculinism and Feminism create harmful division in the Humanism Movement. For every modern day American injustice against women, I can name one against men. You’re not so special. It’s time to join Humanity.
(some schools have added Men’s Studies Classes and they aren’t all History classes. Above I listed issues concerning modern day males that the classes discuss. Geez)
Liz, feminists don’t claim to speak only for college-aged women; they claim to speak for women, period. Gallup found that, in 2009, 49% of American women consider themselves pro-life and 44% consider themselves pro-choice. My whole point is that “feminists” attempt to speak on behalf of all women when too often their organizations do not represent the views of half, or even the majority, of the female population. The authors of this article wonder why people don’t like to be call “feminists” and it’s because the things that “feminists” stand for are not values that are shared across the board.
Did I “victim-blame?” Certainly not. My point is that we’re all responsible for our choices. The authors claim that our society objectifies women through our male-dominated system; however, all too often women objectify THEMSELVES through their clothing and actions. Don’t want to be seen as promiscuous? Don’t dress like it. No man forces you to put on a plunging neckline every Friday night. Similarly, men need to take responsibility for their own actions. No man should escape a conviction of rape simply because he saw it on TV or he was “saturated in an environment of sex.” Our entire society needs to develop a greater internal locus of control.