The simple definition for feminism is advocating for women’s rights. Women have been fighting to get treated equally to men for years. It took us a very long time to just be able to vote. Now we’re fighting to get paid the same as men. Men have always been seen as the superior gender. It’s apparent in movies, TV shows, and even the presidents. It’s 2021 and we have yet to see a female president running the country. Women aren’t taken seriously. Men have always said how women “belong in the kitchen” and that they are meant to do “all the hard work”. They’ve grown up on misogyny and haven’t been able to shake it from them. Girls also face an internalized misogyny because of this. From what they’ve seen in media, from the male gaze, it’s apparent that we’re supposed to be girly but not too girly, sporty but not too sporty. It’s very exhausting to have to constantly think about what the best thing to be portrayed as is.
4 thoughts on “Feminism”
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I agree that while women’s rights have been improved upon for the last few years, they are nowhere near where they should be for this era. Adding to the example given, “we’re supposed to be girly but not too girly, sporty but not too sporty”, there began sayings that relate to these exact examples. Sayings such as girl push-ups and running like a girl continue to be used by both genders today, yet only for females is it offensive. Why just because there is a slight modification do people call them ‘girl’ push-ups even though males can do the same exercise and it is still called girl pushups.
To add on to your point on internalized misogyny, I think it is interesting to examine this issue by looking into the concept of being “not like other girls”. Across the internet I have seen many expressions of girls who claim they are “not like other girls”. This is seen among some to be a certain badge of honor, being “not like other girls” makes you unique or special. Maybe you like sports or video games instead of fashion or makeup. According to this thought pattern this would make you cooler and possibly more appealing to men since you don’t associate yourself with such “low” or “brainless” feminine behaviors. Recently, I have been able to see this behavior unpacked and revealed to be a type of internalized misogyny. Women are told that what is feminine is not as cool as what is considered masculine is and if they like things that are traditionally non-feminine then they must be very different from other girls. In reality there is nothing wrong with being like other girls or acting in a traditionally feminine way. (There is also nothing wrong with being a girl or women who likes traditionally masculine things, but it does not give you the right to put down other women who do like feminine things) One particularly refreshing tiktok trend I saw even promoted accepting or embracing traditionally feminine traits with tik toks of girls describing all the ways they ARE like other girls and not being ashamed of certain “feminine” or “basic” traits of theirs.
Women have indeed been fighting to get treated equally to men for years. I love the example of voting right. The inequality between men and women is particularly evident in politics. In most countries, presidents are men instead of women, and it’s hard for women to get a high position in business and politics, which are important for a country. Women are stereotyped nowadays, they were labeled with all kinds of labels like “belong in the kitchen” you mentioned above. Under the male gaze, it’s hard for women to be themselves. With the development of media, we should encourage women to get rid of these labels and do what they want.
I wanted to applaud your willingness to share that “It’s very exhausting to have to constantly think about what the best thing to be portrayed as is.” This is a reality that’s too often lost in conversations about identity. Performativity — the act of performing to particular identity norms — is real and can be stressful and tiresome. It’s also stressful and likely contributes to higher suicide rates among young women and girls.