Today is International Women's Day. Wikipedia states that today, March 8th is the major day of global celebration of women. In different regions the focus of the celebrations range from general celebration of respect and appreciation towards women, to a celebration of women's economic, political and social achievements.
Today, I'm inspired to put down my opinion on a subject close to my heart. I think it's quite misunderstood. Currently, many view "Feminist" is a derogatory term that's equated with being masculine and strident. This is a falsehood. To be a feminist simply means believing in the equality between men and women, supporting the idea that women deserve the same rights under the law as men. Feminine and feminist are not mutually exclusive. One can have the wonderful qualities of womanhood and still be a Feminist. It is also true that men can still be masculine while also holding the belief that the women in their lives are their equal.
Where people seem to be getting confused is when manners and common courtesy enter the picture. Just because a man opens a door or pulls out the seat for a woman doesn't mean he thinks of her as less. A gallant man is not sexist, he is mannerly. It is gentlemanly behavior to have manners and be polite. Holding a woman's chair should be equated to using please & thank you. It is a form of politeness and shows good manners.
Unisex is not the goal of Feminism, equality is. Men and women make a great team working together. Each gender brings their own strengths to the party. The value of those strengths is what's equal. This is a good thing and anyone misunderstanding what the Feminist Movement really is can be comforted by that. As the French say... "Vive La Différence!"
And last but certainly not least, here's a great quote by Caitlin Moran, a columnist for The New York Times. She really says it like it is...
Best,“We need to reclaim the word ‘feminism’. We need the word ‘feminism’ back real bad. When statistics come in saying that only 29% of American women would describe themselves as feminist – and only 42% of British women – I used to think, What do you think feminism IS, ladies? What part of ‘liberation for women’ is not for you? Is it freedom to vote? The right not to be owned by the man you marry? The campaign for equal pay? ‘Vogue’ by Madonna? Jeans? Did all that good shit GET ON YOUR NERVES? Or were you just DRUNK AT THE TIME OF THE SURVEY?”
To all the women before me who have helped me along the way and to all those who have befriended me, supported me and generally made my life better, I say Thank You.
BEautimous, Jenn!! I love that you have recycled this so that I can benefit from reading it.
ReplyDeleteFeminism is being able to be yourself in my book and make your own decisions, and it is as simple as that... great post Jenn...xx
ReplyDeleteDitto...great post Jenn,
ReplyDeleteThanks for dusting it off and sharing once more...I agree with all the points made. I love a door opened for me or a chair being held but woe be tied a man if he assumes I can't do a manly task! ;-)
Hi Jenn, I like your writings. This is a difficult subject. It encompasses so much! To me the most important thing is to have choices. That means that the opportunity to make those choices needs to be available to everyone.
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