Wednesday, March 23, 2016
"I'm not a feminist and that's okay"
http://www.hercampus.com/school/psu/feminist-response-i-am-not-feminist-and-okay
I noticed recently that multiple people on Facebook shared this article. It is a response by a feminist to a women who says she is not a feminist and does not want to be. I found the points that both authors made interesting. I think however that this response was somewhat harsh. While the author makes valid points and claims, she also seems to talk down to the author of the original post by saying things like "honey" and "hate to break it to you but not really" which in my mind is somewhat rude. She does make valid points trying to break down the stereotypes that come along with feminism, but I think that she also comes off as blunt and personally offended, which I don't think is necessary. I would be interested to hear what other people think about this the tone of this response and if it is justified.
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I think there are way too many people in the United States who are afraid to call themselves feminists, and I think that this is because they lack a basic understanding of what the word means. I have even had to explain to my little brother and my best friend that if they believe in equality of the genders, that they are feminists. I read the original article and I think that a lot of what the author talked about can be considered feminism, in the sense that she believes she should be able to choose the life she wants instead of it being forced upon her, even if that life is very traditional.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the author of the response makes a very good point in that it is very privileged to assume that any girl in the world is able to choose such a life. Most probably couldn’t be a happy homemaker. As far as the tone goes, it is a little demeaning. I don’t think insulting people is something that is super helpful in the movement. However, I don’t think it detracts too much from her arguments. Perhaps the author was angry and frustrated and needed to keep her feeling under control. I think that sometimes, in the feminist movement, it’s good to get angry.
In any case, in the comments of the original post, I found many shorter responses that said much of the same thing in a more kind way. I even found a link to a different response that is more understanding and more polite (http://my-life-in-coffee-spoons.weebly.com/blog/i-am-a-feminist-who-loves-god). Hopefully these comments have helped the author of the original post become willing to call herself a feminist! I’m all for her choosing to take her husband’s last name and even let him be head of the house. As the author of the response said, that’s great that she was born into a position where she can choose to do that. However, I do not agree that it’s okay to not be a feminist.
I saw this article and while I think she may be blunt or aggressive, it does get the point across. I find the original article (not the response) to be dangerous to how society perceives feminism. Feminism is not about being a working mom who never cries or goes to church. Feminism is about being able to be treated equally in any profession and role that you choose. Regardless of whether you are a stay at home mom, a prostitute, or a CEO of a company, you deserve to be treated fairly and equally and that is what feminism is fighting for. Both of these articles are fairly misinformed of what feminism is and that's really upsetting. You can still be a stay at home mom who prefers to be taken care of by a man and still be a feminist, by acknowledging that you don't NEED to be taken care of by a man and that men aren't the only possible caretakers or providers. That culture is heteronormative and also says that women can't be independent and can't be in control of their own lives.
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