Last night, as I stood amid the eardrum-bursting,
claustrophobia-inducing gym of Troy High's homecoming dance, I couldn't
help but think about the copious amounts of homework waiting for me at
home. I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone, so I
began to contemplate the meaning of feminism. This was all while
carefully maneuvering myself around the sweaty bodies of my classmates.
Let me tell you, it's not easy.
Anyhow, the first
thing I considered was the various issues at the core of feminism. The
ones that automatically came into my mind were the wage gap and the high
cost of child care. These things are always plastered throughout
headlines and TV shows, a call to action for the supposedly wronged women of
America. Don't get me wrong - of course I believe that these issues are
important. But, like many other political and social movements, feminism
has lost its way in the journey to universal recognition.
Feminism has gradually evolved into a somewhat passive aggressive
movement where if you don't agree, you can be considered a misogynist.
Personally, I am a believer of gender equality. Notice how I say
"equality" rather than "femininity". Too often in the fight for women's
rights, the perspectives of men are forgotten. This results in a
misunderstanding that causes people to unnecessarily take sides - the
feminists versus the misogynists.
So, take a moment to consider the other side's perspective the next time you want to voice your opinion about the feminist movement. After all, perspective has had the greatest impact on society's view of women. If girls grow up thinking that the tasks they do in life are "demeaning and degrading," as bell hooks said, they will forever resent their designated role in society. In reality, women who are able to do housework while maintaining jobs and taking care of children are the ones who are kicking ass and taking names. That difficult balance is what makes women so phenomenal. -MC
I think that you have captured one side of feminism very well. I think that it is true, to some extent, that it has turned into a passive aggressive movement especially because there really should not be "sides" to take. It is about gender equality, not one gender above another. It's something very simple that gets misconstrued by too many people. There are too many injustices in the world to focus on just women or men.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you continue to speak in first person throughout your writing. I too agree with you that feminism has changed from what it originally aiming for. Nowadays, there seems to be a lot of people who do not truly understand feminism and use a black-and-white logic to identify people as either a feminist or a misogynist. I believe that the goal of feminist was to create equality for all - the reason that I believe that people should call themselves egalitarians rather than feminists - and it shouldn't limit itself to only females as the inequality applies to everyone on a varying scale.
ReplyDeleteHi Yunsoo,
DeleteI like to write in first person because I feel it adds more of a personal touch. After all, this is a blog. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
I like your personal take on the feminist movement as a whole. I agree with your statement that feminism has gradually evolved to something beyond its original intention, and that the perspectives are so complicated that "sides" should not be formed. Great post!
ReplyDelete