The dreaded ‘F' word.
Yes, that's right, I'm talking about feminism. A recent class
discussion (and a pending exam question) has prompted some serious
thought on this topic. Being a woman, I should know what a feminist
is. I should know whether I am one. Sadly, I'm lacking answers on
both counts. The truth is the
definition of a feminist has become blurry thanks to media-fueled
stereotypes. On the one hand we're presented with the image of the
archetypal ‘bra-burner' who hates men, won't shave her legs and
could possibly be a lesbian. And on the other is the more modern
version of a feminist who is slightly more liberated i.e. she'll
wear make-up and have a career and no husband if she pleases (think
Sex and the City).
So, which of these
stereotypes is closest to the truth of what it means to be a
feminist? Well, perhaps both. Let's start from the beginning.
Initial women's movements were based around campaigning for equal
rights for women. I'm sure we all know that back in the day women
weren't allowed to vote, they couldn't have ‘professional'
careers like being a doctor or a lawyer, they weren't paid as much
as men and were pretty much expected to get married, bear children
and be the perfect homemaker.
And the bra-burning?
Well, there was no bra-burning, as such. Instead, during one
particular movement, women threw bras, corsets, shoes and many other
items into a big trashcan - apparently a metaphor for the women's
liberation. While there was no burning of any items, sadly for the
women their ‘liberation' took place at the same time as many
other strikes and riots so the events were forever inextricably
linked, and the image of the ‘bra-burner' was forever ingrained
in our minds.
These days,
things are a lot better for women. Most of us can vote, have sex,
have abortions, wear what we like, enter any profession we like and
pretty much live it up (note: I said most
of us). Ergo, modern day feminists need
something new for women to be on a par with men. Enter the age of
sexual liberation where these days women are fighting hard to shake
that old ‘men are players, women are sluts' ideal. Remember the
first episode of Sex and the City? The women decided they were going
to have sex like men - without emotion and as much as they liked.
And nicely complementing this is new feministic ideals to further
empower women to not live up to stereotypes - to care about your
appearance AND be smart; to not necessarily marry or have children;
to enjoy a career.
According to my
sources, many old-fashioned feminists would be turning in their
graves to see the 2008 feminist having a lot of sex and never getting
married. They'd probably say that it was the complete opposite of
what they had worked so hard for. And maybe they would be right.
However, faced with my original question - am I feminist? - I
would have to say, anything that involves equality for woman as well
as the ability to ‘have sex like a man' doesn't sound that bad,
right?
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