Do We Really Need Feminism?
Do we really need feminism?
If you were to ask me this question a year ago I would have a completely different answer than I do now. In 2016 there are many men and women supporting feminism, but there are also many men and women opposing feminism. There may be different answers depending on what nation one is in, but for now we’re focusing on the U.S.
Sure, feminism has gotten women to the same point as men in equality but do we still need it? Or are women nowadays milking their problems for what they’re worth?
One of the main arguments feminists have is the supposed wage gap. The wage gap has been debunked by many different people. Women often make less than men because they work less. Women are more likely to ask for a more flexible work schedule and ask for more days off than men, but this doesn’t mean all women are like that. They’re not getting less for the same work, they’re getting what they work for. In 1963 the Equal Pay Act was put into effect, so women would be paid the same as men.
The argument that feminists make that doesn’t apply to only women is the “women get accused of wanting rape.” This is, sadly, a true statement but the same thing could be said for men, plus men that have been victims of sexual abuse can even be told that they can’t be raped. Some people have the audacity to tell a person that they can’t be a victim of something that was very real to them at one point. Rape is defined as “unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim.” Men and women both have these body parts, so it doesn’t just happen to one sex.
Many people believe in media nowadays women are expected to look and act a certain way. But, if that were true why would there be so many different sized of women in media with very different personalities (ie; Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lawrence, Melissa McCarthy, etc.)? Maybe the problem is with the amount of photoshop used on pictures for Instagram and magazines, not the fact that all women have to be the same. But, in reality everyone has different personal tastes, so, maybe the boy/girl someone likes prefers the natural body of a woman rather than the fake plastic version everyone sees in the media. Don’t believe everything you see.
A feminist in most people’s eyes today is a hairy social justice warrior that will put someone down for being born a cis white male. But, not all feminists are like that. A lot of everyday women and men are feminists, as well. There’s no need to stereotype a group of people fighting for what they believe in. Yes, some of them can be the angry and aggressive type to get angry at a man just because he is a male; however, Webster’s Dictionary defines feminism as “organized activity in support of women's rights and interests.”
So, the actual definition of a feminist is much more watered down and accepting than the idea that most people have of a feminist today.
A school-wide survey revealed that:
