By Felicia Czochanski
- Contemporary Feminism removes the negative stereotypes of the movement.
(Courtesy of Wikimedia)
Society has been trained to live in fear of feminists. Simply hearing the term makes one picture an angry mob of bra-burning, armpit-hair-growing women. With this type of connotation, why would anyone want to label himself or herself as a feminist? What type of message is this sending for the movement as a whole?
Labels, in general, frighten people. They box people into specific identities from which they cannot free themselves. Although once known only as an admirable and groundbreaking philosophy for men and women alike, feminism now has harsh and extreme present-day connotations.
Self-declared modern-day feminist Ellen Hinkley, FCRH ’17, believes that although “apparently the word ‘feminist’ carries a bad stigma that represents bra burning, men-hating, butch women, and feminism is about providing awareness for the inequalities faced by women around the world.”
Fighting against inequalities is the true definition of feminism. With any form of belief, be it social or political, there are going to be people that take it to the extreme.
However, all the feminists should not be painted with the same brush. The term should be interpreted in the same sense as when an individual claims that he or she is “religious.” When one hears someone describe him or herself with this term, his or her mind does not automatically jump to the conclusion that they are so orthodox that their children are not permitted to have an Easter Bunny because it commercializes the Resurrection. One automatically thinks of “religious” in the simplest terms: the belief in some sort of spirituality. This is what should happen when one hears the term “feminism.”
The images of bra burning should not appear unless one sees the smoke.
Unless there are some dramatic changes in the way society views feminism, fewer and fewer men and women will accept the label. This is especially true for men, who generally find it strange to call themselves feminists, when the stigma exists that extreme feminists “don’t need a man.” Fortunately, modern-day feminists no longer reflect the stereotypes and are changing the perceptions of feminism.
Some influential celebrities are leading the culture change. While accepting Billboard’s 2012 Woman of the Year award, Katy Perry said that she is “not a feminist” but that she does “believe in the strength of women.”
Similarly, Yahoo Chief Executive Officer Melissa Mayer explained that while she “believes in equal rights” and that “women are just as capable,” she thinks that feminism itself is a “more negative word.”
Men are also starting to raise awareness of the evolution of contemporary feminism. In his Spring Weekend performance at Fordham this past Sunday, Judah Friedlander was asked by someone in the audience if he was a feminist.
His response was, “Of course not. I’m not a feminist, I’m a humanist. I believe that all humans deserve the same rights.”
One of the most prominent believers in the need for women’s empowerment without labels is Beyoncé, who says that she “hesitates to call herself a feminist.” However, she also further explains this by stating that the word feminist “can be very extreme. But, I guess I am a modern-day feminist. I do believe in equality. But, why do you have to label yourself anything?”
Beyoncé is on to something. If we take away the label we also take away the negative and harsh stereotypes that have been linked to it. Modern-day feminists should not be held to past standards.
As the definition of a feminist differs from person to person, it is unfair to stereotype each person’s beliefs toward different issues. Feminism needs to be simplified once again. “It should mean that I should not be paid less than my step brother for doing the same work,” says Marcelle Meyer, FCRH ’17.
This is what the modern-day feminists are trying to do. We need to retrain society to understand that it is all about equality.
Felicia Czochanski, FCRH ’17, is an undeclared major from Metuchen, N.J.
