It’s no secret that the word “feminism” has a bad reputation. But as many feminists know all too well, aversion to the term often is based on misunderstanding about what it actually means. (The problem really starts when people just straight up disagree with the actual meaning.) The correct definition of the word feminist is, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” Sounds simple, right? Then why is there so much opposition towards it?
I once knew someone whose health professor had been teaching that class for over 40 years, and in the late 70’s he’d told the story of how he had asked the class to raise their hand if they were a feminist. Every single person there, boys and girls, raised their hand. When he had asked the same question in my friends class, apparently only a few girls raised their hands while the rest didn’t move. When asked why they didn’t, they replied that while they believed men and women were equal, they thought calling themselves feminists was taking it too far.
The definition of feminist has not changed, the term has just been polluted and surrounded with so many misconceptions over the years. It’s actually simple. If you believe in the equality of the sexes and women’s rights then you can, and should, call yourself a feminist. How did it get polluted? Funny thing is, I learned just exactly how in my history class last year. Basically, when women wanted, and eventually won the right to vote, men got scared. Many cartoons came out about feminists, with the basic idea always being that the women will take over everything a man does, and then force the men to do ‘women’s work’. The funniest part about this to me, is that what scared the men was that they didn’t want to be treated like a woman was.
See?
For example, popular Parks and Recreation actor and stand-up comedian Aziz Ansari spoke about being a feminist on the Late Show with David Letterman in February. Watch the video here.
“If you look up feminist in the dictionary, it just means someone who believes men and women have equal rights. And I think everyone here believes men and women have equal rights. But I think the reason people don’t clap is that the word is so weirdly used in our culture. Now, people think feminist means, like, some woman is gonna start yelling at them.” He added, “I feel like if you do believe that men and women have equal rights, if someone asks if you’re a feminist, you have to say yes, because that is how words work.”
Yes, it is truly that simple. So please educate the people around you about the true meaning of feminism, so we can help erase the misconceptions surrounding the word. Never be ashamed to call yourself a feminist!
Living That Opinionated Life 