Feminism, being a feminist and what it all means
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For the longest time, whether it be across the world or the dinner table, the word ‘Feminism’ seems to have conjured up a whole host of negative and not so female friendly images and has somehow – unjustly – earned the unfair perception of being an….unsavoury word. In its most simplistic sense, it is the belief that women and men should have equal rights and opportunities – in essence, it is the theory of the social, economic and political equality of the sexes. If we take it a step further as Wikipedia has, “Feminism is a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic, personal, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment.”
Recently, Emma Watson (who became a household name as Hermione Granger, the fictional Muggle-born witch in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series) in her speech as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador at a special event for the HeForShe Campaign at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in 2014 said, “I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word.Apparently I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and unattractive.Why is the word such an uncomfortable one?”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the author of ‘We Should All Be Feminists’, says “My own definition of a feminist is a man or a woman who says, ‘Yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better…All of us, women and men, must do better…Some people ask: ‘Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?’ Because that would be dishonest…Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general – but to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender. It would be a way of pretending that it was not women who have, for centuries, been excluded.”
According to Alison Flood, writing for the UK Guardian in December 2015, Adichie’s ‘Call to Arms’ has been given to every Swedish 16-year-old by the Swedish Women’s Lobby and publisher Albert Bonniers, in the hope that it would “work as a stepping stone for a discussion about gender equality and feminism”. At the giveaway, Chair of the Lobby, Clara Berglund,“This is the book that I wish all of my male classmates would have read when I was 16…It feels so important to contribute to this project. It is a gift to all second-grade high-school students, but it is also a gift to ourselves and future generations.”
So what does it really mean to be a ‘Feminist’? In many ways, given that it could and does mean many things to many people, the important question would appear to be, what does being a feminist mean to you? Does it conjure up an almost amusingly (because it is so far off the beam) stereotypical image of an unkempt, almost masculine, aggressive, man-hating female, stomping on a platform and burning her bra? Or is it that of a successful and stunning superstar in the form of Beyoncé featuring Adichie’s words “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, ‘You can have ambition, but not too much’, in her latest single Flawless. Or countless other powerful men and women who have been very vocal about being unapologetic Feminists. Not forgetting of course, President Barack Obama, who famously said at the United State of Women Summit hosted by the White House in 2016 that “This is what a feminist looks like”, whilst pointing to himself.
So what does it really mean and why is it, that in the year 2016, when there is no doubt that women are as capable and clever as men in every diverse field, and can hold their own with skill and wit against the might of any man, that people – women and men – still have to justify…fight…and reiterate, over and over again that they are Feminists and it is ok to be one. That – in the case of women – it does not make them any less….feminine. That being feminine and a feminist are not mutually exclusive.
For me, the answer is very simple. Overall, Women and Men are equal. From the day we are born until the day we are no more. Our nature, upbringing, actions, beliefs, peers and superiors, help to form the framework and provide guidelines within which we have an opportunity to build a life and create our own value systems that dictate how we view the world and treat the people and places around us. These core values – those instilled in us from our very formative years and those we learn by observing those around us – go a very long way towards creating our own individual outlook and attitudes and teach us to respect people and nature and be tolerant of all beings and care for the environment that sustains us. I don’t feel the need to shout it out from the rooftops, my actions and behaviour should be indicative enough, however, if there were to ever be any doubt, or I am called to take a stand, then it will be the loudest shout you will hear. Being a lawyer and opera singer will no doubt come in handy.
As Adichie says, “I’m a feminist because I want to live in a world that is more just. I’m a feminist because I want to live in a world where a woman is never told that she can or cannot or should or should not do anything because she is a woman. I want to live in a world where men and women are happier. Where they are not constrained by gender roles. I want to live in a world where men and women are truly equal. And that’s why I’m a feminist.”
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