talkpolitics | On being a feminist

blue-mangos.livejournal.com posting in

I am a feminist. No surprise to anyone here I know, but in this age where feminist is being seen more and more as a dirty word, where we’re seen as man-haters, as screaming harpies, as ball-busters, I feel it is more important than ever to proudly self-identify as one wherever possible. For you see, as a group, we are none of these things. We are women who believe in the radical concept that we have the right to be treated equally. We believe we have autonomy over our bodies, over our lives, over our choices. We believe we have voices and opinions that we deserve to share with the world and with each other. We will not sit back on the sidelines and allow men to take the lead, nor do we expect the men to sit back, or to ‘apologize for being men’. We want to work alongside them, as full equals, to change the world.

The feminist movement is traditionally broken up into 3 parts, which I will briefly outline here for educational purposes. Please note, for those of you already familiar with the subject matter that for the sake of brevity I am offering a very condensed version, I will be skipping a lot of nuances. If anyone wishes these can be discussed in the comments.

First-wave feminism began in the 19^th and early 20^th century, focusing primarily on the women’s suffrage movement. Women today owe a great debt to the prominent members of the movement, such as Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Fuller and others, as they paved the way for women to be seen as deserving of the same rights and responsibilities as men.

Second-wave feminism refers to the time beginning in the 60s, focusing not only legal inequalities but also general women’s issues such as family, the workplace and control over reproductive rights. It is said it came about in response to the treatment of women in post-WWII, where after many women had gone to work and stepped up in the absence of so many men, were expected to ‘get back into our place’ and submit under a blatantly patriarchal society, as evidenced by many of the popular TV shows at the time. Betty Frieden’s book ‘The Feminine Mystique’ focused on the inequity of this society and pointed out that to limit women in this way was a waste of female potential. 2^nd wave feminism is mainly seen as a great success having led to The Equal Pay Act, Affirmative Action rights for women, the illegalization of marital rape, Canada’s Human Rights Act, and Roe vs. Wade among other legal victories.

Third-wave feminism, the current wave, which I am a part of, came about as a backlash against second-wave. It began in the early 80s and continues on to today. We did not wish to be a part of our mother’s feminism which was seen as failing to encompass all women, regardless of race or sexual orientation. Many of us also embrace the concept of sex-positivity including porn and sex work, an area 2^nd wave feminism vigorously fought against. We have fought to continue the work of earlier women with sexual harassment laws, greater representation for women in business and government and to maintain and even improve on reproductive rights. Some are fighting to reclaim derogatory terms as was discussed here last week. We are often criticized for lacking a single goal, a decisive issue to fight for, for we believe in allowing every woman to define feminism for herself, whether that be in the workplace or in the home as a wife and mother. While a great deal of the work towards equality has already been achieved, and I greatly respect the women who fought to achieve this, to allow me the freedom I have today, not all women have reached this point and this is why feminism is still a valid notion, one that must continue to adapt to a changing world.

I feel it will soon be time for a fourth-wave movement, for the younger generation to step up and take on the challenge. I fear in part for what it will become for through my eyes many young girls (not all of course) no longer wish to have anything to do with feminism. I see them viewing feminism as unnecessary and too militant. I see them failing to embrace their sexuality as its own important concept, but instead as an offering to men. I see them so accepting of feminist ideals as part of their lives that they no longer feel the need to fight for them. This is a mistake. If we allow ourselves to become complacent, those privileges we have fought for could backslide. It is important to not only remain vigilant but to continue to strive towards full equality, especially in business and government. I also feel that the new wave will need to accept the offering of men as allies, for men today are in a unique position to help, many having grown up with mothers either as part of the movement, or having benefited from it, while still maintaining their privilege. It would be foolish to turn down such a valuable contribution out of pride. We need to no longer view ourselves as separate but equal, but simply as equal.

However, the next wave is not mine to shape. It belongs to the new and future generation of women. All I can do is sit back and watch as it grows and adapts and hope it brings positive changes to women. All I can do is hope that one day I will no longer need to identify myself as a feminist, as a champion of women’s rights, as all of the battles will have finally be won.

I apologize for the weird font size, this is not my computer and I can't seem to fix it no matter what I do.