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Feminist is not a Bad Word By: Courtney Phillips

The word feminist has gone from possessing a revered meaning of female strength and pursuit of equality to being avoided and unclaimed by most of a generation.  It is not uncommon to hear a woman say something along the lines of, “Well, I’m not a feminist, but…” and then talk about women deserving equal pay in the workplace.  Let me be the first to break it to all of those women who are denying being feminists, but harbor beliefs that women deserve equality.  You are a feminist.  You just aren’t claiming the title.

 

There are so many misconceptions about feminism that many shy away from owning the title.  The undoubtedly ridiculous stereotypes about feminists have cast a negative cloud over the entire feminist movement.  Most of the stereotypes have to do with the appearance and attitude of feminists; some believe that in order to be a feminist you must be loud, abrasive, man-hating, lesbian, give up makeup and skirts, stop shaving, and abandon your religion.  Collectively, our society agrees that stereotypes are bad, and in fact, most of us are taught not to stereotype groups of people at a young age.  There are, however, always a few individuals that are representative of those negative stereotypes.  For example, there are feminists who are loud and lesbian, (which isn’t a bad or harmful thing) just as there are some athletes who are scholastically challenged and some Americans who are gun-toting, overweight, and arrogant.  Stereotypes are negative and insulting to any group of individuals, feminists included.  A core belief within the ideals of feminism lies in personal choices and individuality.  No woman or feminist fits neatly into any mold; feminists celebrate the personal freedom to look, live, and just be that way that you are most comfortable.

 

Now that we have figured out what a feminist is not, let’s discuss what a feminist is exactly.  Feminism is the movement toward full social, political, and economic equality.  Being a feminist is different for each person.  It’s about each person (not just women) having enough information to make informed choices.  It’s about not being limited to societal expectations.  Feminism isn’t about women being more like men, or the two becoming one.  Feminism recognizes that men and women are capable of different things, not based on gender, but on individuality.  It’s about being liberated and making genuine choices.  The focus on feminism needs to be on the freedom of choice, and not on the choices that any one individual makes. 

 

Some people have problems reconciling the idea of being both religious and a feminist.  Can one be a feminist and religious?  Absolutely, yes one can be both.  There are many feminists who also endorse the Bible.  For example, although a Catholic may not personally believe in the use of birth control, he/she would not prevent others, Catholics or non-Catholics, from deciding for themselves whether or not to believe in or use of birth control.  The problem is not with religion.  The problem lies with the interpreters of religion.  Specifically, the Vatican has made it difficult for an individual to comprehend being both religious and a feminist.  The Bible does not directly promote inequality or interfere with human rights.  Rather, the Vatican and other individuals have inappropriately used the Bible causing people to confuse the actual text of the Bible and what the interpreters have determined.  There are groups who are devoted to helping feminists maintain the balance between their feminist beliefs and their religious beliefs.  Catholics for a Free Choice is a group that is supportive of both religion and an individual’s choice.  Their website, www.catholicsforafreechoice.org, opens with a quotation by Fances Kissling that reads, “Are we not capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time; of valuing life and respecting women’s rights”.  The point is that no individual has to abandon their religious beliefs in order to be supportive of women’s rights.

 

Society seems to have forgotten that feminists were calling for action against the Taliban a decade before the September 11^th tragedy in New York.  Feminists were paying close attention to the Taliban; particularly how they were denying basic human rights to women and girls and the negative impact that this had on them.  Feminists were the only ones who were putting pressure on the U.S. government to intervene in order to stop the hostile reign.  It wasn’t until September 11^th that others started paying attention as the feminists had been.

 

Feminists were active against domestic violence long before anyone else was talking about it.  The federal government did not allocate any money to assist with ending violence against women until 1994.  It was only after the brutal murder of the beautiful Nicole Brown Simpson that Americans as a whole began paying attention to this issue.  Domestic violence is still a pervasive issue, so much so, that it is viewed independently of feminism.

 

Feminist is not a bad word.  The term feminism has always been an ideological fire starter.  In general, words that are associated with being either progressive or female tend to get degraded.  If the word “feminist” were changed to something else, then over time that word would come to possess negative associations.  Conservatives and right-wing supporters have captured the language in this way.  For example, look to how the right-wing has manipulated the use of the term “pro life” in the debate on abortion.  Would the abortion discussion be viewed differently if the pro-choice individuals had adopted the term “pro life” first, as in not wanting women to die from illegal abortions.  Feminists are in pursuit of full social, political, and economic equality.  Feminists have an important voice and should never be ashamed of their beliefs.  Hasn’t our society learned to be accepting and tolerant of all individuals, feminists included?  Being a feminist means living by your own convictions and living a self-respecting life.  Feminists of the world, stand up, speak out and be proud.

 

Sources:

Catholics for a Free Choice, www.catholicsforafreechoice.org, email cffc@igc.apc.org

 

Delamotte, Eugenia. Women Imagine Change: A Global Anthology of Women's Resistance from 600 B.C.E. to Present. Routledge, New York, New York 1997.