I am a feminist.
Whew, there, I said it. I hope other people aren’t judging me right now. Wait, they are. I can tell by their raised brows and inquisitive looks. Maybe I should have held my tongue…Now they are going to think that I am a crazy, radical liberal who never shaves, likes to burn bras and believes that the male species should be eradicated from planet earth.
Wait, let me try that again.
I am a feminist.
I believe women should receive equal pay for equal work. I believe women should have equal access to education and equal opportunities in the workplace. I believe women should have autonomy of their own bodies. I believe women should not be victims of domestic violence, sexual harassment and sexual assault. I do not hate men, nor do I even dislike them. I simply believe in gender equality. I simply believe in fairness.
Today is International Women’s Day, as well as Feminist Coming Out Day at Harvard College, launching Women’s Week 2013 on campus. In honor of this day, I must discuss the following subject—the stigma that surrounds the concept of feminism and even just the word “feminist.”
How many times I have heard people utter the phrase, “I’m not a feminist or anything, but…*here’s what I believe.” It’s something I’ve heard far too many times, even at Harvard, and the unapologetic tone I hear people use is unacceptable.
Today, even in the twenty-first century, many Americans still shy away from identifying themselves as feminists, in fear of being judged by society. This is because many Americans view professed feminists negatively, whether consciously or subconsciously, while some Americans even go to the extreme of outright denouncing feminism and calling for the preservation of patriarchal ideals. Yet, why does such a stigma of feminism still exist?
In large part, the stigma of feminism is rooted in the common, and somewhat archaic, perception of feminism as a radical concept. People believe feminism is radical because it challenges the status quo of a patriarchal world that oppresses women and denies them of equal rights. Others, however, believe that feminism is outdated because sexism no longer exists in the modern world, at least in the United States and other developed nations. As a result, society tends to view feminists as passionate and angry bra burners, men-haters and rabble-rousers, rather than advocates for equality and social justice.
However, I would contend that feminism today is not an extremist concept. The demand that people not be stereotyped, limited in opportunities or threatened solely based on their sex is more than reasonable, especially in a country that prides itself on upholding the pillars of liberty and equality of opportunity.
This ongoing stigma of feminism parallels the stigma of abolitionism back in the nineteenth century when being an abolitionist was considered radical. In retrospect, the petitions of abolitionists were clearly not extremist. Abolitionists merely demanded the end of slavery and desired equality of all Americans, no matter skin color. Similarly, feminists simply call for equality between the sexes. And just as abolitionism did not equate to the hate of white Americans but merely signified the desire for black Americans’ rights, feminism too does not equate to the hate of men or the value of women over men but rather calls for the balance of power between and establishment of equal rights for the sexes. It’s a stark parallel to draw, but now one that will hopefully resonate with the American consciousness.
Furthermore, feminism is not outdated at all. While most people may acknowledge the existence of sexism globally in developing countries in which women are extremely oppressed and violated, many deny that sexism exists in the United States. However, sexism clearly still permeates American society, as demonstrated by the huge wage gap between women and men; the striking disparity between the number of female and male political representatives in government; the dearth of female CEOs; and the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence, as well as sex trafficking in the United States.
The feminist stigma is unmistakably an important issue that needs to be addressed. By proliferating a flawed depiction of feminism and discouraging people from identifying themselves as feminists, the stigma surrounding feminism proves detrimental and hinders the progress of the women’s rights movement.
In order to break this stigma and rectify the image of feminism, more people need to proclaim that they are feminists without viewing it as a type of concession. Moreover, men must realize too that they, too, can, and should, proudly identify themselves as feminists. And while it’s easy to believe that one voice won’t matter, it is important to remember that every voice matters in breaking the stigma of feminism and helping advance the movement toward gender equality.
So I challenge you: come out today as a feminist. Identify yourself as someone who cares about equality for your friends, your family and the generation after.