Featured image courtesy of Ramblings of a Crazy Redhead

I felt like this post needed explanation: it’s not fashion or style related, and that’s what I typically write about. However, recently I’ve decided just to write about what influences and inspires me, whether or not it has anything to do with fashion. Most of the time these things influence my fashion choices and inspirations, but sometimes they don’t. Feminism is one of those topics, it’s not relevant in terms of fashion and style, and it’s not inspiring in terms of self-expression in different art forms, but it deserves to be discussed. Quite honestly, I’d been reading teen feminist blogs and got quite riled up. While I was still a bit enraged at the world and the inequality in it, I wondered why I wasn’t writing about important topics such as feminism when I have a voice in the world that’s larger than what most people have, and when I have so much to say about it. So take what I have to say, or leave it, just know that this blog is constantly evolving, and different styles of posts may pop up on your screen.

Courtesy of YouTube

I’ve decided to take things a bit slow, or maybe not. It really depends on how controversial you believe topics of this sort are. I suppose in a way, feminism should be in no way controversial, it simply stands for equal rights for everyone, specifically targeting genders. However, some people call themselves feminists, and with or without meaning too, prize themselves above men. T-shirts with the phrase, “I bathe in male tears,” and coffee mugs with a similar phrase have given feminism a bad name. I’ve sort of brushed over these issues, and focused on what really matters: the equality, but as I’ve heard from my peers, some people don’t focus on the good parts of feminism. They’ve based their entire opinions about a movement around the few people who believe in misandry, and mistake this as feminism. I’ve decided to clear things up a bit. In my opinion,

feminism is….

Still an issue-

Many will argue that sexism is nonexistent; that women and men are complete equals, and that the feminist movement is no longer needed. I’ve got a bit more about this later on, in terms of why we need feminism today, but it seems a bit obvious to me. A lot of this is due to ignorance. There is most definitely sexism present in the US today, however it is not as glaring (to some people) as it was in other eras, or is in other countries. Some people have taken this to mean that sexism is no longer rampant, and no longer needs to be addressed. Other people ignore feminism because they believe that sexism doesn’t affect them. In fact, it shocks me how people can completely ignore an issue, simply because it doesn’t affect them.

Ever changing-

One day, the issues that women face may be almost non-existent.* That doesn’t mean that there aren’t new issues that will arise. In the past women couldn’t vote, and while that is no longer true, other issues that have come to light. Feminism does not stand for anything other than advocating for women’s rights on the grounds of equality in comparison to men. Therefore, feminism stands for whatever it needs to. It’s sort of a product of its time.

*That day is not today.

Courtesy of the Huffington Post

The fight for equal rights-

This goes along with my next point, but it is important enough to have it’s own section. I for one do not want to abolish the patriarchy, and start a matriarchy, simply because I believe that women are better than men. It’s sort of like that saying, “there’s enough love to go around.” We’re not going to put men down, simply so that there is enough power to bring women up. Money, respect, and power all belong on a scale, and the amount that the genders have should be equal. We’re not taking from one side to give to the other. Feminists are trying to bring raise both men and women up because both genders face sexism in their everyday lives.

Courtesy of the Huffington Post

Feminism is not…

Belittling men-

I have found this to be the most common reason that people do not identify as feminists (though they believe in equality among the sexes, funny huh?) Feminism is trying to stop sexism, not encourage it. Of course there are a few people that call themselves feminists, but should actually be considered a misandrist. Feminism is not taking power away from men in order to raise women. This movement stands for equality among both sexes, not just for women. Don’t let misandry and the name fool you. In short, if you do not consider yourself a feminist, you do not believe that men and women should have the same rights and be treated the same way.

Only for women-

A bit earlier I stated that some people ignored gender inequality because it didn’t affect them. However gender inequality can affect anyone. I’m sure that every man could name quite a few women that are important in their lives. Chances are, a few of them are experiencing gender inequality. Also, I’ve read quite a few comments sections on articles and videos regarding feminism. Some people criticized the movement simply because they stated that feminism didn’t help men who were pressured to be strong, and unemotional. However, if there was gender equality, women could be strong and independent without appearing “bossy,” and “rude,” and men could show their emotions without being considered “weak” or “wimpy.”

Courtesy of imagining happenings

Trying to shame certain women-

Another common misconception about feminism is that they are trying to shame women who want to fall in love and have kids. That is simply not the case. To me, feminism is making it OK for a women to do that, -or- go out and get a job, in any industry. Feminism is also making it OK for men to stay and home and raise children, -or- go out and get a job. Both options and genders should get the same amount of respect for whatever they choose. Plus, feminism is not shaming women who choose to put on makeup. I don’t believe that anyone should be shamed for what they decide to do with their body, because it quite frankly doesn’t affect anyone except for the said person. Whether they put on certain clothes or wear makeup to attract men or not, feminism just tries to get rid of the stigma around things of this sort. Believe it or not, many women do not make decisions to impress a man. Also, feminism is trying to get rid of the stereotypes around women, such as the fact that you can’t be smart and pretty, or that you have to be a skinny, blonde for example to be pretty.

With all that in mind, some people ask me why feminism is still around, and why it’s needed in the 21st century. It’s a bit harder to understand why you need feminism in countries like the US, and places like the UK, than it is to understand why you need feminism in other countries you may have never even heard of. However, I’ll try to provide you with a little bit of both…

Courtesy of matthewsplace.com

We need feminism because…

1. In 10 countries around the world, women are legally bound to obey their husband. Someone once replied to this with, “And the US is not one of them.” You cannot make a problem disappear by ignoring it, or state that a problem doesn’t exist because you don’t have to deal with this. With this logic, racism does not exist, simply because someone has not experienced it. Murder does not exist, simply because no one you know has ever been murdered. It doesn’t make sense. Anyways, I’m almost positive that there are 0 countries around the world where men are legally bound to obey their husband, because men are not, and never were regarded as the property of women or beneath a women, nor should they ever be. No person should have to obey anyone, or be treated as the property of another person.
2. 80% of the 1.2 million children sold into slavery each year are female. Again, while this is not an issue affecting some countries, it is out there. These first two facts were some of the things that stuck with me the most in my research for a school paper , and really made me get into feminism. While NO PERSON should be sold into slavery, it appears that once again, girls are almost always considered the property of other people at least in comparison to boys.
3. Women are more involved in government, at least in terms of voting, but they still hold less than 20% of the seat in Congress. I’m not saying that women are better because they are more likely to vote, it’s just a fact, and it doesn’t really mean all that much. Anyways, I’m fairly sure that it’s common knowledge that women make up about 50% of the population. That should mean that at least 50% of the government should be run by women, correct? To me, that means that people are judged based on their experience, their goals, qualifications, etc. and not based on their gender. A lot of people argue with me that women are not going out for these tougher positions, and that they stay at home taking care of the kids. While staying at home to raise children should not be considered an insult, and is not only for women, that is not the case. The women that do tend to shy away from these positions do so because of the stigma that comes with strong, smart, and confident women being in a position of power. If women make up the same amount of the population as the men, then women should be in just as many positions of power as men, and vice versa.
4. 2/3 of the adults in the world who are illiterate are women. I would be OK if 50% of the illiterate adults in the world were women. That’s not the ideal solution because it would be better if everyone had the ability to become illiterate, but it works I guess. However, this fact tells me that a man’s education is more highly valued than a woman’s. This is also supported by the ‘dress code debate,’ but that’s an issue for another time. While it would be best if everyone had the chance to be educated, your likelihood of becoming literate should in no way be determined by something you could not control.

Facts from Independent and The Huffington Post

There are so many reasons why the world needs feminism, but these are just a few that I found that stand out. I suppose in the fight for feminism the lines have been blurred a bit, but really this is truly a movement for everyone, that stands for nothing but equality. A feminist is someone who believes that no one should be treated any differently for something that they cannot control.

What do you think of feminism? Care to debate? Let me know in the comments below.

This post is most likely the longest one I ever wrote,* but it’s an important one, don’t you think?

*This blog post is 1,917 words, just in case you were wondering.