Feminism.



Over the past few years, feminism has become the second most abhorred f-word within society. It connotes radicalism and gender dichotomies that neither sex hopes to propel, and the cause for women’s rights has slipped into the background as women are abashed to espouse their civil liberty of equality. Public sentiment alleges that women who proclaim themselves feminists must believe in female superiority and consider men frivolous and unnecessary. The term itself symbolizes permanent solitude as a cat lady, a dart board in the shape of a man on the wall, and a nightly peer discussion over the detriments of male involvement.



Isn’t it humorous how a single expression can endanger a cause that influences over fifty percent of the American population?



When we look back at history, or rather herstory, the women’s rights movement was nothing but tempered and progressive. The first feminists fought for positive reform in every realm, advocating for abolitionism and temperance as well as their own issues. As Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony proposed female suffrage at the Seneca Falls Convention, they paved a path for future women, who would eventually earn the vote in 1920 with the 19thAmendment. As Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique and founded the National Organization of Women, she gave talented females the ability and confidence to infiltrate the work force and pursue high-echelon careers. Without these courageous, inspiring feminists, women would be confined to their homes, “the problem that has no name” a perpetual pandemic among the populace.



And now we eschew the word “feminism” because it has been dirtied. Surely, our resentment toward it does not stem from a desire to inhibit justness. We are the United States of America! Our entire structure revolves around the principle of equal opportunity.



And now girls skip around, resembling dainty, desirable daisies, unworried by the salary gap between them and their male counterparts. Unmoved by sexual harassment and abuse. Unconcerned by their right to autonomy over their own bodies.



Meanwhile, the nation is undoing the advancement that centuries of blood, sweat, and tears have won. State governments, like that of Texas, are defunding Planned Parenthood, repressing sex education and safe sex. Rape victims are being accused of bringing it upon themselves based on their raiment or their consciousness. Young women laugh at jokes about their rightful role in the household, pleasantly smiling as they regress to the early 19th century.



We often hear, “I’m not a feminist, but I support gender equality.” This phrase is confused and muddled. Burning bras is not feminism. Committing oneself to a nunnery is not feminism. Standing in the street with “still not asking for it” plastered across one’s breasts is not feminism. Feminism is gender equality.



These demonstrations that disturb and provoke are ways in which individuals assert their sovereignty through their own feminist lens.They are valid, but they are also drastic. Feminism is not intended to be exclusively sensational; it can take many forms and adapt to one’s personal beliefs. It is not incendiary, and it certainly isn’t filthy. No, it embodies the American promise.



But look, I’ve used the f-word eight times. This must not be suitable for publication.