What is Feminism to me? Most people hear the "F Word" and automatically picture a militant woman with a shaven head, boots, who hates men. I was in the military, and I'm rather mouthy, but I'm not so rigid. I have pretty long hairI do like boots, but prefer ballet slippers, and I definitely don't hate men. I hate what society has made both (or all) genders to be. Feminism to me is the same as egalitarianism. Equality between the genders. And while progress has been made, it has most definitely not been reached. And it effects EVERYONE.
I'm not going to go into great details on each of my reasons…each of them would deserve their own entry. But with violence against women, few woman in politics, sex trafficking, women still being judged by what they wear or look like more than the concepts in their minds, (including it being used as reasons she "wanted it" when she was raped…happens a lot) churches continuing to hold back woman from being leaders in churches, loosing your virginity making you unworthy for marriage, pay gaps, being cat called by some dude looking at you like a steak, magazines usually featuring some story about how to "get a man" or "please a man" as though that is our be all end all mission (next mission being popping out babies, of course!)….I'm really just warming up here.
In the US, women are allowed to vote, get jobs, and we're actually supposed to have the same value as men in society. Yet all of the factors above still effect us. Feminism effects men in many ways as well. Men do, after all, come into contact with women quite frequently in their lives. And having an unbalanced testosterone dominated society is what causes most of the issues related to feminism. It is men who create most rapes and domestic abuse incidents, most violence in general. And how many times do you see a guy cry? Pretty much never. Under the same testosterone pumped society, it's unmanly. Think of all the things that one would consider to be "unmanly" and you can bet that's where it came from. Not to mention that when we're using male leadership and dominance, we miss out on the other piece of the puzzle, a woman's wisdom.
We're designed to be each other's "helpmates", which I know is supposed to mean spouses, but to me it means that males and females help each other. Where one is weaker, the other is stronger. We help each other. Working together and respecting each other, as equals, can only be a good thing. That, to me, is feminism. Would you like some resources? Well, whatever your answer, I have some anyway. :)
www.nomas.org (National Organization for Men Against Sexism)
www.feminist.com/
www.feministing.com (my favorite)
http://happyfeminist.typepad.com/happyfeminist/2006/01/feminism_is_not.html
Any topics related that you have questions on? Let me know and I'll find something for you. :)
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