If you do not believe in the definition of Feminism, which is the attainment of political, social, and economic equality for women, then you must be some kind of cave man, or cave person. Whether or not you care about the word “feminist” it is time to seriously achieve equality.
I have been empowered and excited to write this article after listening to Emma Watson’s speech to the UN regarding Feminism and her appointment as an Ambassador for the UN’s solidarity program HEFORSHE. You can see it HERE. I was offended and disgusted by Time Magazine’s call to ban the word Feminism. I think anyone is entitled to express their opinion….but only after they have educated themselves on it. As a former Lecturer at the University of Texas Dallas I taught classes on Gender….Gender and Society, and Gender and Crime. I have also discussed HERSTORY and feminism to classes of middle school students. I have written theses and papers on the subject. I feel that I am knowledgeable enough to express my opinion on the issue of “Feminism”.
Feminism represents over a century of the fight for equality, and it represents theoretical concepts on economics, and the social and political deconstruction of gender and of power. The huge amount of knowledge we now have on these subjects is owed to academic Feminist Theory. I am not going to go into details….after all, it used to take me an entire semester just to educate my students on the basic concepts. I want to point out that Feminism is not just a “political” word, it portrays true activism. Susan B Anthony, Mary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Florence Nightengale, and the more contemporary feminists like Gloria Steinham, Billie Jean King, Andrea Dworkin, bell hooks, and Frances Beal, deserve recognition and thanks. And let us not forget those who study and write on men and masculinity issues like Michael S Kimmel, Michael Messner, and David Buchbinder.
I’ve been a feminist since childhood, though it was called being a “tomboy” then. I learned early that I was not as good as a boy. I was angry when I was told I had to wear a shirt when the boys could run around shirtless. I was upset to learn that I could not play Little League baseball or Ice Hockey because I was a girl. I couldn’t take shop or mow the lawn, I had to take Home Economics classes and I hated them. I hated to sew and cook. I wanted to run around and play sports and dig in the dirt and go climb on rocks….. I was fired from a job as an adult when I protested being paid less for my work than my male co-worker. At another job I was told I could not be promoted because I was pregnant. As a teen I was a model, and I learned that the most valuable attribute I possessed was my face and thin body. I learned to apply makeup and my looks became the underpinning of the little self esteem I possessed. I actually thought I was stupid, a “dumb blonde”. Yes, I have been affected by gender inequality.
Now, as to the word “Feminism” being a synonym for “man hater”? Bullshit. That uneducated and benighted idea is absolute bullshit. But okay, as Emma Watson says, it isn’t the word that is important right now, it is the IDEA and IMPLEMENTATION of gender equality. Bigotry and sexism hold men and women back. It is also exciting that a young woman of Emma Watson’s intelligence, education and generational popularity is speaking out about gender equality and feminism. Her generation is very uneducated on these issues…how do I know this? Because I work with students of this generation, and I taught them at the college and high school levels. The Millennials grew up on Harry Potter and loved Harry, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. Emma Watson can reach them. I hope others of her generation will join her in speaking out. Listen to her remarkable speech and educate yourself. Emma, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Each generation needs a voice, and Emma Watson can be the voice for equality for the Millennials as Gloria Steinham was the voice of feminism in the sixties.
So we need a new word? Okay, fine. Whatever. We had to change Global Warming to Climate Change, so I guess we can add another “label” to the equality of the genders. How about Gender Egalitarian? I like it. How do we define it? The belief that all genders should have political, social and economic equality and opportunities. So how do we advocate for it, and bring about change? The UN’s HEFORSHE Solidarity Movement is a good start for those who want equality.
Okay. So who’s a Gender Egalitarian? Speak up! Are you?