Feminism. Ah yes, the dirty F word.
When people hear the word "feminism," images of masculine women may come to mind. Women who don't shave. Man haters. Bitches.
And I'm not going to deny that there are women out there who fit this mold. More power to 'em! I wish I was brave enough to defy cultural expectations of shaving. (Imagine how much money and trouble you'd save if you didn't have to shave!) But alas, I shave. I also wear makeup and dresses, I have a boyfriend, and I love all things girly! But I am also a feminist. So this brings me to the first part of my definition of what it means to be a woman who is a feminist.
Female feminist: A woman who acts and dresses however she wants, regardless of whether or not it fits into a culturally-accepted gender mold.
By this definition, a woman can wear a tie and chop off her hair if she chooses, or she can wear a dress and curl her hair — as long as she does so because it's what SHE wants. A woman can furthermore stay single her whole life and focus on a career, or she can get married, start a family, and be a stay-at-home-mom. As long as the stay-at-home mom does so because her children are her main priority in life and not because she is stuck adhering to an outdated 1950s stereotype of a domestic wife, she can still be a feminist.
Feminists don't mold themselves into society's view of a "perfect" woman or limit themselves to meet others' expectations. Feminism is about living for yourself and saying "screw you" to those who say women have to act or dress a certain way because nothing else is acceptable or desirable.
On to the second part of my definition.
Feminist (For both genders): Feminism also means women empowerment. It means defending women's rights to their own bodies and choices. This doesn't mean you have to support abortion, either. It can, but it doesn't have to. Feminism, for both men and women, means respecting women. Aka no rape, no sexual harassment, no lewd comments, no demeaning attitudes and jokes.
Not all feminists say women are better than men and don't need a male companion in their lives. Plenty of feminists have significant others. Feminists just know that women and men should be equal. A true feminist is quick to voice anger or take a stand against any law, person, or attitude that suggests anything less than gender equality.
Feminism. Respecting women and not caring about gender stereotypes. Everyone thinks being a feminist means you have to defy these stereotypes and go against the grain. Well I'm here to say this isn't true. You don't have to defy them, you just can't define yourself by them. Ignore them, embrace them, whatever. You do you, girl.
When people hear the word "feminism," images of masculine women may come to mind. Women who don't shave. Man haters. Bitches.
And I'm not going to deny that there are women out there who fit this mold. More power to 'em! I wish I was brave enough to defy cultural expectations of shaving. (Imagine how much money and trouble you'd save if you didn't have to shave!) But alas, I shave. I also wear makeup and dresses, I have a boyfriend, and I love all things girly! But I am also a feminist. So this brings me to the first part of my definition of what it means to be a woman who is a feminist.
Female feminist: A woman who acts and dresses however she wants, regardless of whether or not it fits into a culturally-accepted gender mold.
By this definition, a woman can wear a tie and chop off her hair if she chooses, or she can wear a dress and curl her hair — as long as she does so because it's what SHE wants. A woman can furthermore stay single her whole life and focus on a career, or she can get married, start a family, and be a stay-at-home-mom. As long as the stay-at-home mom does so because her children are her main priority in life and not because she is stuck adhering to an outdated 1950s stereotype of a domestic wife, she can still be a feminist.
Feminists don't mold themselves into society's view of a "perfect" woman or limit themselves to meet others' expectations. Feminism is about living for yourself and saying "screw you" to those who say women have to act or dress a certain way because nothing else is acceptable or desirable.
On to the second part of my definition.
Feminist (For both genders): Feminism also means women empowerment. It means defending women's rights to their own bodies and choices. This doesn't mean you have to support abortion, either. It can, but it doesn't have to. Feminism, for both men and women, means respecting women. Aka no rape, no sexual harassment, no lewd comments, no demeaning attitudes and jokes.
Not all feminists say women are better than men and don't need a male companion in their lives. Plenty of feminists have significant others. Feminists just know that women and men should be equal. A true feminist is quick to voice anger or take a stand against any law, person, or attitude that suggests anything less than gender equality.
Feminism. Respecting women and not caring about gender stereotypes. Everyone thinks being a feminist means you have to defy these stereotypes and go against the grain. Well I'm here to say this isn't true. You don't have to defy them, you just can't define yourself by them. Ignore them, embrace them, whatever. You do you, girl.