Feminism is a valid conceptual belief, I say as I sip on a non-existent cup of tea, waiting for a response from the anti-feminist feminist who will try to convince me that feminism only exists when it is convenient for the person in picture. There have been instances when “feminism” seems to not do justice to the right party, but what people fail to realize is that injustice is the exact opposite of what feminism stands for.
Contrary to popular belief, a bunch of women did not attend a conference and decide that they wanted to exclude almost all women, every male and other sexes from the feminist movement. The meaning of the term evolved over time until anti-feminists decided it wasn’t a great movement and not in the direct interest of indirect benefactors (surprise!). This, accompanied by some manipulation, brainwashing and a lot of convincing, led to an “equalist” movement.
“Equalism,” theoretically is a great concept. Of course, women are equal to men; like 66 cents equal a dollar in salaries or 54 equals 946 as a female to male CEOs’ ratio in Fortune Top 1000. Now if you are a person of the belief that women are equal to men and should be treated that way, I am all for it. I agree that taking advantage of your gender in a time where awareness about feminism is at an all time high is unfair to people who may feel excluded. But like all true feminists will say, feminism is all inclusive.
Remember the bunch of women who sat around the table and decided that feminism is for white women only? Remember when they laughed at the idea of men being raped? Remember when they created a cookie-cutter silhouette of the ideal woman? Remember how they never existed?
While we are on the subject, remember when women were catcalled in public? Or when people of colour were excluded from all representation? Or when most countries never had a leader of any gender apart from male? Or when women weren’t allowed to vote or own a piece of land or get married without male consent?
Feminism may seem like a hard pill to swallow but the taste of your own medicine is often the most bitter. So here is an easy to follow list to find out what makes a feminist:
- Believing people should be paid equally for the same jobs performed equally well
- Thinking everyone deserves the opportunity to pursue a career
- Knowing assault is wrong
- Knowing that there are people of more than one gender in the world
- Admitting that one gender is not superior to any other
If these bullet points do not apply to you, and you do not believe in the f-word, this column is not your cup of tea and we can part ways, hopefully peacefully. It is convenient to believe that feminism is a school of thought which favours a particular gender, or even a sub-part of a gender. However, if you possess some faith in humanity, a little courage, and the yearning for awareness, feminism can be a lifestyle that can be easily embraced to be an inclusive part of the community.
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