I am a feminist.

- Manteli Apulainen

I am strong. I am proud. I stand up for what I believe in. And yes, I still shave my legs. I don't think I am a lesbian. And a lot of the time, I am wearing a bra. Because feminism isn't about making oneself masculine. It isn't about proving you aren't a girl. You don't have to hide the fact that you have two X chromosomes to be a feminist. Feminism is about equality.

I will fight for my rights. I will do what I feel needs to be done in this world to try to give myself and future generations EQUALITY. Not false senses of equality, like a lot of people seem to have now, but real, true, equality.

Things aren't equal. We live in a patriarchal society, and that isn't right. I am not saying it should be the other way. I don't think we should have a matriarchal society, and that if we did that would fix all our problems. I'm not saying that at all. I am saying that we need EQUALITY.

Look at past generations, and what the feminists of those days did for us. Now, in this day and age, are we unwilling to keep up the fight, to grant ourselves the rights to what we so deserve? They opened doors for us. Gave us opportunities to expand and grow and thrive. And yet, people seem satisfied with where we are now. They turn a blind eye to the injustices that women in this country and all over the world are suffering, because, to them, things look OK.

Things are not OK. If things were OK, would we have to be worrying right now that Roe vs. Wade could be overturned? Would we have to be wondering if there is ever going to be a female president of the United States? And what about the injustices in other countries?

If women in this world were EQUAL, the woman of Bunya Kari wouldn't have been taken from their villages and raped and beaten and have no harm come to their attackers at all. Women in Afghanistan and Iraq and Iran and other countries wouldn't have to be scared to leave an abusive relationship, would be allowed to walk outside without wearing a full burqua, or worried about what would happen if they didn't behave like a proper wife. If a woman wants to follow some of these practices, that is her prerogative. But she should have the CHOICE.

But that is a tiny fraction of the social injustices that happen EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

The work of the feminists of today is not done. There is a ton left to do not only in our country, but in every other country.

If you believe in equality, that's wonderful. So fight for what you believe in. Fight with all your heart and all your soul. It's not just your future. It is the future of your sisters and cousins and nieces and eventually your daughters and granddaughters. This is THEIR world; don't you want it to be an equal one?

Some people have different views on feminism.  They feel that feminists should save their battles for the big things, and let the little things slide.  Or they feel that women are already equal to men in most ways, and that we are just making a big fuss over a small deal.  That if we voice our opinions about smaller issues, we are just squawking to be heard.

But why?  And how?  How can we “let the little things slide?”  If you do that, things will build.  Nothing will ever be big enough to fight for.  Where do you draw the line at what is a big enough issue to make a big deal over, and what you should just let slide? 

Because, the thing is, women are NOT EQUAL. Not in this country and not in most countries. We make a big deal of it because we ARE being oppressed. We DON'T have equal rights. I have never squawked at anybody, "I AM A FEMINIST BLAHBLAH WOMEN NEED EQUAL RIGHTS." I don't think I have squawked at anybody period. I HAVE shared my views. I HAVE let other's know what I think. I don't sit back and take crap, and just expect things to get better. Where would women today be if women of the past had done that?

I am not only fighting for my rights. I am fighting for the rights of ALL women, all over the world. Even if we were to say that women in the US are equal, what about the women of other countries? Our sisters who don't have the ability to stand up and be heard? Who is THEIR voice? They are not allowed to speak up. It is up to the feminists of TODAY to help stop the oppression around the world. Do they not deserve equal rights?  This is a quote from Eve Ensler (author of The Vagina Monologues), on the Brussles Proclamation.

These Afghan women suffered the worst atrocities. Every human right was denied   to them -- jobs, education, personal freedom, medical care. They have been violated in every way. They have lived in the deepest poverty and deprivation.     And yet "defense" was mentioned nowhere in their document, building weapons or instruments for retaliation was not called for in any category. Instead, they wanted education, health care, and the protection of refugees, culture, and human rights.

Does that sound like equality? That these women don't have equal education, health care, and just basic human rights? It doesn't sound like it because it isn't.

Maybe pacifism works for some. But sometimes, a little squawkage is necessary. Make some noise. Get the issues out there for people to see. Confront people with issues, so that they know what is happening. If they choose to do nothing, it's there prerogative, but make sure that they know.

Other’s seem to feel that this is just one big battle of the sexes.  One against the other, no room for compromise.  That is not what Feminism is about.  The battle of the sexes in the traditional sense can get tiresome. "I'm stronger. No, I'm stronger. I'm smarter. No, I'm smarter."  It is about "both sexes are equally good at things." Certain people will always be better at certain things. But feminism is about bringing REAL equality to the world. There is no "I am better than him who is better than her but not as good as that person over there" aspect to it.

I agree that people should pick their battles. But I don't think that a lot of battles are too small. I also don't think it always has to be a battle. It can be a conversation. Just a comment. A "ok, that's how you feel, now hear me out" kind of thing.

If you really look at our society, you'll see that we aren't entirely equal. On the surface, it may appear that way. But reallly, it isn't equality so much as it is what we are used to. What we live and see and PERCEIVE as equality.

The Wikipedia entry on Feminism really sums up what I am trying to say:
Feminism is a diverse collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies, largely motivated by or concerning the experiences of women, especially in terms of their social, political, and economic situation. As a social movement, feminism largely focuses on eradicating gender inequality and promoting women's rights, interests, and issues in society.

I think it is important to understand where feminism came from, what it really means, and what we are really fighting for.  A girl that identifies herself as a feminist said to me:
This whole patriarchal society began thousands of years ago by idiots who still believed that the earth was the centre of the universe, etc.

That makes no sense at all.  There are so many misconceptions about feminism flying around.  We don’t think that men are stupid or ridiculous or anything else.  And in regards to that comment, I’d like to point out that Believing in geocentricity has nothing to do with patriarchy or feminism. It is just what many of the great minds of the past thought. And not only men. There is evidence that early ancient Greece was a matriarchal society. Think about the classic dramas, especially in regards to the stories of Clytemnestra, Iphigenia, Agememnon, and Orestes. Also, not EVERYONE was on board with the geocentric theory. As early as the third century BC Aristarchus had already proposed the heliocentric theory.

Where did the feminist movement start in the first place.  Again, I refer to Wikipedia to answer this question:

Feminism became an organized movement in the 19th century as people increasingly came to believe that women were being treated unfairly. The feminist movement was rooted in the progressive movement and especially in the reform movement of the 19th century.

That’s not to say that there weren’t those that believed in equality of the sexes before that.  But as a movement, that is where it started.  That is when people came to realize, “we aren’t equal, and we need to do something about it.”  They didn’t’ realize “we aren’t ABOVE men, and we need to do something about it.”  The didn’t’ say “I’m tired of this patriarchal society, let’s make it a matriarchal one.”  They wanted EQUALITY.  Just like the feminists of today want equality.

People dredge up the subject again and again that they aren’t feminists because they don’t believe in being better than anybody else.  Female dominance isn’t their game, so they can’t be a feminist.

We are NOT looking for female dominance. For people that ARE, well, they may very well be a feminist, but they aren't fighting for feminist ideals. We'll never get anywhere by saying "you've been ahead long enough, step back, and now we want to rule." That won't happen. Which is why we want equality. Men don't have to step off the map to give us some control.

Feminism is feminism. There aren't two types, or five types or 100 types. We aren't trying to be just like men, we are trying to have the same rights as men. People that try to break feminism into groups are being ridiculous. It's like, we are all fighting for the same thing (equality). How is it that you break up one group that have the same ideals into a hundred different categories. Some feminists believe that women should be in control, but that is just their personal belief. That is not part of their being a feminist. If they want to be called a feminist, then they have to fight for equality.

Gloria Steinem was once asked the following question. I think it somewhat applies here:

Quote:
Q: Where do you stand in the current debate that the feminist world has divided into "equity" feminism vs. "difference" feminism--about whether women are to be treated like men or as different from men?

A: Of course, you understand that I've turned up in every category. So it makes it    harder for me to take the divisions with great seriousness, since I don't feel          attached to any of them--and   also since I don't hear about the division from women who are not academics or in the media. The idea that there are two "camps" has not been my experience. The mark to me of a constructive argument is one that looks at a specific problem and says, "What shall we do about this?" And a nonconstructive one is one that tries to label people. "Difference" feminist, "gender" feminist--it has no meaning in specific situations.

So, next time somebody says, are you a feminist?  Think about this.  Do you want equality.  Do you want to be treated fairly?  Are you willing to speak up about this?  Then yes, my dear, you are a feminist.  Stand strong, stand proud, and proclaim it.  I know I do.