A friend of mine once stopped dating a guy after he told her that her feminist ideals were “a turn off.” What he was saying, of course, is that he doesn’t want to date a woman who demands equal treatment and respect, because that’s just no fun. Incidentally, he’s still single, but he’s not alone in his mentality. A lot of people believe feminism has a negative effect on society. Others argue that though feminism was once necessary, it’s irrelevant now. But they’re both wrong.
I still need feminism because society misuses women’s bodies. Flip through a magazine and look at the way they sexualize even young girls. Stroll down the street and hear all the catcalling and street harassment that reduces women to ambient sex objects. Walk past newsstands with Photoshopped women on the magazine covers and the headlines telling us what our priorities should be: to “Be Beautiful”, “Tone Every Inch!”, “Resize Your Thighs” and “Get a Sexy Body!”. 80% of ten-year-old girls have dieted in the hopes of conforming and looking more like these fantasy images. Isn’t middle school tough enough without adding pressure to maintain a perfect body before you hit puberty?
I still need feminism because women have a hard time being taken seriously in the workplace. The wage gap of 77 cents on the dollar is by now a well-known figure. Not only are women paid less, there are fewer women in positions of power, both in the political and the business world. That means society doesn’t value the work that women bring, even if it’s the same as men.
I still need feminism because women of color are underrepresented and unheard. The wage gap is even worse for women of color, who according to some estimates make as little as 54 cents for every dollar a man earns. As for representation, women of color are rarely given starring roles in mainstream media. More often than not, Hollywood delegates them to typecast supporting roles.
I still need feminism because the men in charge in Hollywood systematically rape, abuse and oppress women. And they almost never fund female-written or directed films. Film and TV are major contributors to the way women are viewed in society, and women’s oppressors are shaping our culture.
I still need feminism because lesbianism is okay in front of a camera, but still isn’t fully accepted in our society. Many lesbians feel that society views their love as acceptable only if it’s for the benefit and viewing pleasure of men. But women’s happiness should matter in its own right, independent from male desire.
I still need feminism because it’s still normal to ask “what was she wearing?”, “was she drunk?”, or “does she get around?” and victim blame women who’ve been raped. In fact, rape culture is so overpowering, women have to look at every man as Schrödinger’s rapist. Rape culture is everywhere: in Hollywood, in business, in the military, in colleges. And instead of helping survivors, society finds ways to blame the victims. All that matters is that she said no, but too many people still refuse to accept that. Women have the right to feel safe at all times, but because of the perpetuation of rape culture, this is rarely the case.
I still need feminism because men seem to think it’s ok to police women’s choices. Women’s health issues are the subject of constant controversy. Sexual choices always come with judgment, no matter what she decides to do. Articles about “fashion trends men hate” pervade the internet, even though the average guy’s closet isn’t exactly fashion central. Who gave men the right to dictate what women should wear? Whether she’s choosing a miniskirt or a hijab, women must be free to make these kinds of choices.
I still need feminism because too many men don’t respect women. Women are attacked and vilified for rejecting men. Women who “friend-zone” men by refusing to sleep with them get called a bitch, as though it’s a woman’s duty to deliver sex on command. And often, refusal becomes dangerous as men stalk, harass, or physically harm women who turned them down. Women routinely die for speaking their mind to men they are intimate with, or for turning down prom dates, breaking up with boyfriends, or not responding to catcalling. It’s time we started fighting for women’s right to turn down romantic and sexual advances. Her right to no should always trump his desire for yes.
I still need feminism because the word is tarnished by the male-run mainstream media. Too many people see feminism as wrong. Many people, including women, are turning away from feminism. They associate the movement with aggressive bitches, shrill harpies, and hairy lesbians. These huge negative connotations lead to things like the completely disheartening ‘Women Against Feminism’ tumblr page. There, women post photos with signs like “I don’t need feminism because I like men” and “A good man raised me, a great man loves me, millions died for me, and they don’t deserve your shit” and “Men have been predestined to be the head; the role for men is to be leaders, not us” and “As a Christian I follow the bible’s commands that I submit to my husband in all things, and this makes my marriage stronger.”
Feminism was supposed to be the one area in society where women could talk about their issues and seek change. Instead, attitudes like this confuse what feminism is all about, and still make it all about men.
I still need feminism because teenage girls need feminists. Right now, there are thousands of teen girls across the country struggling to find their place in society. They’re doing it with the media idealizing one form of beauty and putting down everyone else. They’re doing it with too few female role models in positions of power to inspire them. They’re doing it with the knowledge that even if they somehow break the glass ceiling and make it as far as a man does, they’ll still get paid less. They’re doing it with society pitted against them in so many ways, they can’t make a choice without getting vilified. I still need feminism because the place society has reserved for them now isn’t good enough.
Why do you still need feminism? Let us know in the comments!
Catcalling is never acceptable, and yet some men are just to ignorant to think that they can do that because we “provoke” them. I know a lot of girls who experienced being catcalled even when wearing jeans and long skirt and so this shows that men just see women in a sexual way regardless. I do not know where the issue lies but it is sure not with women because as a human being we have the same right to choose what we want to wear and be respected by others.
I hate it when I need to get permission in what is acceptable or not from the clothes I can wear. I want to have the freedom to choose whatever type of clothes I am comfortable of waring without the eyes that judge the way I dress.Without the eyes of those pervs who are already seeing right through me. To live in a society where women can move and freely express themselves in public. These are my reasons why I still need Feminism.
I need Feminism because I do not want to be told how I should act or who and what I should be. As a woman, I need to have the choices I can make for myself. As a person, I should not be limited with the opportunities I can grab with my own capability and strength, not by my gender.
As we say that Feminism is about equality, a society where everyone received the same treatment, regardless of gender. Some people say they want and believe in equality but they are not feminist. Well, technically you are a feminist and there is nothing wrong about it. For some men and even women, they do not want to be labeled Feminist, I wonder why? I am pretty sure they have read the definition and they are very aware of it but it makes them uncomfortable to be called Feminist.
I can relate to this. My friend said he believes that all the girls should be treated equally, blah, blah, blah. And so I told him that he is a Feminist. But he denied it and said NO he is not and he just doesn’t want to be labeled one. It is great that he supports equality but I just do not get why he doesn’t like to be called one. Haha! When I asked him, he just said he is not.
I hate people especially women who can shame the victim for what happened to her. People always have comments and opinions that are not really helpful and just want to add fuel to the fire. If the victim was raped, regardless of what she was wearing, where she was and whom she with, she was still the victim. I cannot stomach women scrutinizing victims as if they are not women themselves. Where is humanity in this?
I feel that we still need Feminism because we need to educate people, not to objectify us, women. It is not actually teaching women how to prevent rape but to change how men and people see women as an object. We are being judged by how we dress and become an easy target for rape or harassment.
It is great so many women today feel like they have equal opportunities as men. If it wasn’t for past feminist movements, who knows where we would be today. But we still need feminism, and will continue to need it, until every other woman in the world feels this way as well.
Skin color has always been an issue in the society especially here in the US. White people are given the opportunities first and prioritized every they go. If e want equality. and Feminism can make that happen. then I can be a Feminist to support movements to give everyone fair rights as a person.
From a man point of view. I support Feminism because I believe in what they believed in that we should all be seen based on our capabilities and strength and not by our gender. Even for a man like men, we also suffer from gender role assumptions that put too much pressure and expectations upon us to live and act the certain way that society believes so. I like the ideology of equality.
Men just need to respect and accept the fact that women are equally capable in all aspects.
Why in the first place do men get more than women for the same kind of job? I have seen facts that women earn 20% less than men. For doing the same thing every day for the same company, for the same people, and for the same reason -to earn and provide, what;s with being a woman and be paid less for the same amount of effort and number of hours we spend at work? So yes, Feminism is still relevant.