the "f" word- Cas Young

Ladies and Gentlemen, whoever is reading this, you’re going to hear me rant about feminism for the next few minutes, so please keep all eyerolls to a minimum.

About 1 out of every 5 Americans consider themselves to be a feminist. You may think that’s pretty good, but compare that to the fact that 4 out of 5 Americans believe in gender equality (Swanson)(PerryUndem). There’s clearly a disconnect here- why don’t those three people identify as feminists?

People think feminism is a bad thing. If you look up “feminism,” just the one word on YouTube, it will take you some serious digging before you can find a video about why feminism is a positive movement. Trust me, I tried last night. I’m still looking.

Contemporary feminism’s goal is to bring about equality for everyone in all aspects of life regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality, or religion, it’s that simple.

And I’m going to try to make this as simple as possible, too.

Why do people hate feminism? 

“Feminism is a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, and become lesbians.” Okay, Pat Robertson you got us! 

In all honesty, there are more people who share this worldview. I recently stumbled across the anti-feminism movement called “Women Against Feminism,” you may be familiar with it. It mostly consists of women taking pictures of themselves holding up written signs saying “I don’t need Feminism because…” These people are part of the reason for the discrepancy between the amount of feminists and the amount of people who believe in equality. I think most of you guys already are feminists, but it’s time to own up to it.

“I don’t need feminism because I’m not a man-hater!” This is my favourite argument because it’s almost funny. Despite our cold outward appearance, we are all rather soft and squishy on the inside, we don’t hate men, I promise. Feminism isn’t a movement of hatred. I’m not saying there aren’t women and girls who don’t belittle men in order to empower women, there are, but they’re not part of the true feminist movement. It’s not about collectively hating men and hoping they’ll magically cede us our rights. It’s about recognizing other women who do cool things. Feminism, real feminism mind you, is actually really supportive of men’s issues too, and we’ll get more into that in a second. We put women on a pedestal so they can stand beside men, not the other way around. I need feminism because I am a woman who believes she ought to have the same rights as men.

“I don’t need feminism because it emasculates men.” This is the result of a simple misunderstanding. As Femen founder Anna Hutsol once said, “It’s not a case of men versus women. It’s a masculine system working against women and not just against women. It’s against all of humanity. The patriarchy is against men, too” (Margot, Je Suis Femen). For example, why is “man up” synonymous with “toughen up”? Likewise, why is “kicking like a girl” still something people say? Feminism isn’t trying to pry the masculinity out of the hands of every man on this earth hoping to bring him down to the lowly level of the female. Part of feminism is recognizing that people of all genders can be as masculine or feminine as they very well please and their gender is no less valid. It’s knowing that femininity isn’t a weakness or a negative trait and that girls don’t need to drop the lace to be powerful just like men don’t need to man up to be a real man. I need feminism because masculinity doesn't equal strength.

“I don’t need feminism because I don’t want to be shamed for my domestic role.” Clearly, this person is friends with some horrible feminists. Contemporary feminism is all about freedom of choice, today women have tons of opportunities for education, post education, dating and marriage. We have the power to choose to do what we want with our lives contrary to what our parents may have told us or despite what typical gender roles dictate. Women can choose to be engineers and live single in a city apartment and have casual sex on the weekends. And as feminists, it’s our job to respect her decision. To quote feminist icons Salt N’ Pepa, “If she wanna be a freak and sell it on the weekend, it’s none of your business.” Likewise women can choose to get married early and be a stay-at-home mom with 3 kids who likes to cook. More power to you, I can’t cook to save my life! Contemporary feminism is really and truly about support for the independent decisions of women no matter what they may be. Feminism is like religion. You know you found a good denomination when you feel good after church, and you know you’re a good feminist when you feel a sense of pride in the decisions and diverse lives of other women. I need feminism because I deserve freedom of choice.

“I don’t need feminism because I do not blame men for an action I’m responsible for.” This one particularly scares me. This statement is rather vague, but it leads me to believe they think women are responsible for being sexually assaulted. This is a problem that we see a lot in the news, on Facebook and Twitter. A state prison clerk was choked and raped for 27 minutes by an inmate with a history of sexual assault and a senior deputy attorney general wrote that her actions somehow contributed to her rape (Ganim). Women are never the cause for their sexual assault or harassment regardless of the way they’re acting or the way they’re dressed. Still, one out of every six women is sexually assaulted. That’s around five of us girls in the room. And the most common method of rape prevention you see now is “How to not get raped,” not “Why you shouldn’t rape.” Ladies, how many of your parents have told you to carry pepper spray or to use your keys as a weapon, or even just encouraged you not to walk home alone at night? This is an unintentional type of victim blaming, rather than focusing on teaching men and women alike not to sexually assault people, it usually ends up with teaching girls how to avoid it. I need feminism because sexual assault is a crime that too often goes unpunished.

“I don’t need feminism because catcalling isn’t oppression.” Two years ago I was walking from dance practice at a hotel to a restaurant where my family was eating, I only had to walk a couple blocks down some main roads. I figured if I could walk the streets of New Orleans alone, walking through Chattanooga, TN would be fine. Two times I was honked at and catcalled. I was fourteen years old and multiple grown men stopped me on the street. What if one of them wasn’t in a car or if one of them decided to get out? Then I would probably just be another story on the news. Catcalling is the result of centuries of women’s bodies being seen as purely sexual objects. The fact that those people had the audacity to stop a kid, a teenage girl, and harass her on the street because they felt entitled to her body is sick and twisted and I want no part of it. I need feminism because nobody deserves to be treated like that. 

The way I see it, feminism is perhaps the coolest and most diverse movement that’s carried into the 21st century, and it’s so disappointing that so few people are willing to call themselves feminists because of a small handful of people with distorted viewpoints. 

So next time you hear Emma Watson give a speech at the UN, or the next time your mom shows you a video of Malala Yousafzai and her stellar speaking skills, know that you’re a part of that movement. You’re giving yourself, the women of this country, and future generations a huge service. I hope you know we’re the new face of feminism, we’re going to be the ones to bring about true, unparalleled equality.

We are feminists because we need to change the world.