It's 2016 and we still need Feminism

I'd like to welcome in the new year by starting as I mean to go on. Like all, I have set resolutions and this year I intend to ...


I'd like to welcome in the new year by starting as I mean to go on. Like all, I have set resolutions and this year I intend to nurture my brain and body properly. To do so, I will exercise my mind by writing one blog post per week (hopefully every Monday!), and it would be lovely if you would join me. Today I am going to tackle (in only a few hundred words) what feminism is and why we should not be afraid of it. It goes without saying that feminism has been popularised in the last few years and this is a huge step in the right direction, but recently I have heard friends, family, and colleagues trivialising the movement with no clear understanding of the aims so I would like to take this opportunity to open a discussion about feminism. 

On 8th April 2015, Lauren Southern became a viral sensation when she famously "shut down feminism" in a YouTube video explaining why she does not need it - claiming that she does not "need feminism because [she] believe[s] in equality, not entitlements and supremacy." In the video, Southern highlights the worryingly large percentage of rapes in male prisons, the fact that she would get a shorter sentence for the same crime, and that she is more likely to get a job in order to fill a quota.  The most problematic part of this short but compelling rant, however, is that all of her views directly align with feminism and, when a person refuses to identify as such (which is completely their choice) whilst perpetuating these views, the movement is widely misconstrued. What is important here is that you do not have to identify as a feminist to hold feminist views.

It is at this point, then, that it would be appropriate to more fully elaborate what is meant by the word 'feminism.' By definition, feminism is the belief in equality, as previously mentioned when I discussed 'Negotiating Gender Roles with the BBC.' As rightly pointed out by Southern, feminism is - of course - a gender-biased word which is why some people choose instead to identify as egalitarian, but the premise is the same. Nonetheless the gender-bias, fem-, stems from the desire for the emancipation of women in the early 20th century and acknowledges the heritage of the movement; "[feminism] is born of the instinct within every natural woman's soul that God designed her as equal, the co-worker, the comrade of the men of her family" (Carrie Chapman Catt). Catt adopts biblical imagery to denote the "men of her family" and correlate with "God," thus inciting all men - rather than implying a closed circle. By doing so,  Suzannah Weiss explores 'What Does "Feminism" Mean? A Brief History of the Word, From its Beginnings all the way up to the presentfor Bustle, an online magazine addressing everyday feminist issues, and is useful if you are interested in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the word and its roots. For now, I will simply use the basic dictionary description:

1. The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.
2. The theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. 

Despite operating under a gender-biased name, feminism is fundamentally inclusive; for too long the campaign for gender equality has been incorrectly perceived, and largely publicised as masquerading as a fight for female supremacy. This is symptomatic of the press who have demonised feminism as tyranny since it began. I encourage you to usher in the new year with an open mind and take the time to research credible feminist action, such as Emma Watson's HeForShe campaign, before you invest in disparaging feminism because, if you support the notion of the equality of the sexes - believe it or not - you are a feminist too. 





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