March 3rd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
The Trend Away From Feminism
I am an advocate of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. By definition, I am a feminist. For many, the word feminist conjures up images of bra-burning ceremonies, shaved heads, and militant lesbians. Man-haters. “Femi-nazis.”
It is of little wonder that women are deterred from labeling themselves as feminists. After all, why would any heterosexual want to repel her potential dates? Busting out the male privilege checklist certainly isn’t very attractive. Neither is being straightforward, independent, or mildly intelligent: qualities clearly seen in our male counterparts. It’s just so… unladylike. Nevertheless, even in a society where sexualized images of women are often used to sell products, the concept of treating us like human beings is surprisingly one many people think we have covered and should stop complaining about.
But I’m not going to list all of the injustices committed against women today. What I’m really getting at is the absurdity of the commonly held belief that we don’t need feminism anymore. Apparently, it’s been driven to obsoletism through the passing of the 19th Amendment and the availability of contraception. This is why, anti-feminists argue, not every woman is voting for Hillary Clinton. (Nevermind that those women may just disagree with her position on certain issues.)
Creating this extremist, heathenish picture of what a feminist is masks the real fear people have of women making their own decisions. For example, McCain said he believes doctors who performed abortions should be prosecuted. “But I would not prosecute a woman” who obtained an abortion… because, you know, she was being victimized instead of consciously making the choice to terminate her pregnancy.
There will always be misandry out there poorly disguised as feminism, but to call all feminists “man-haters” is surely a product of a frightened patriarchal society.
Of course, I completely agree with you. And I pull out that McCain example ALL the time. ;)