And in other news, will we ever see a day in which an article is published on feminism that DOESN’T, under the guise of ‘exploring’ problematic side effects of gender equality, seek to misrepresent what feminism actually is?
I’m so tired of the MSM publishing these pseudo intellectual pieces that ponder the fallout of pursuing gender equality. I understand that Elizabeth Farrelly considers herself a feminist, but this is exactly why people end up misunderstanding and attacking feminism as a whole. I am a feminist, but I do not subscribe to the thought that men have been left adrift because more women are contributing to the mortgage.
Men are equally as damaged by disparate gender structures, and a large part of that lies exactly in the assumption that their primary desire is to ‘impress and not be impressed’ or to be allowed to Take Care Of Business. It frustrates me beyond all measure when I hear of people - particularly women - snidely disregard the importance (both historical and present) of feminism because we are supposedly equal now. Apart from the fact that we can tangibly prove INEQUALITY, we are actually in a worse position in some ways because there is nothing concrete we can point to and say “Look! See there! Women can’t vote! They are OPPRESSED! Marital rape is legal! This is WRONG!” etc etc. I am a completely normal looking woman and I still can’t walk down the street without being asked to ‘show us your tits’. But hey. We’re equal now. Don’t be one of those ball breaking feminists that would deny men a little bit of a joke.
We live under the illusion of gender equality now and this just makes it that much easier to dismiss not just inequality but disrespect.
I am a feminist not because I want to elevate women above men, or emasculate and humiliate men, or tell men they are weak, or tell women they are better, or deny men equality, or deny men happiness, or deny children a mother, or want to be a man, or want to punish men, or want to destroy the very fabric of society.
I am a feminist because I believe that men and women are equal, and they are entitled to be treated as such. I am a feminist because I believe women experience greater levels of oppression than men on a day to day basis. I’m a feminist because what women do with their bodies is still considered more important than what they do with their hearts or their minds or their voices.
But I am a feminist because I also believe that the status quo oppresses men by forcing them to conform to a rigid and two dimensional notion of masculinity. I’m a feminist because I can see that, while women can be blamed for being raped, men often won’t even report it because they are afraid society will see them as less of a man.
I’m a feminist because in 2011, radio presenters are still asking ‘what kind of man’ would turn down a situation in which they can have sex with someone no matter what the circumstances of consent, and in the same breath ask ‘what kind of woman’ would enter into that situation.
I’m a feminist because I have a father and a brother and countless male friends who love and respect women and manage to do all of that without letting that make them feel like less of a man. And I love these men just as much as I love the women in my life.
So fuck this endless noise. Feminism isn’t about chivalry or the emasculation of men or the boogie monster lurking in the shadows of gender equality.
Stop coming up with reasons as to why we need to tread carefully and start making shit happen.
I’m, not sure what I could possibly add to this, so instead I’ll just say ‘Ditto’.
