Thursday, July 31, 2014
Women Against Feminism: Documenting Feminism’s Pervading Relevance
While
spending some quality time with one of my teen-aged nieces, she said something profoundly
insightful and incredibly ironic, “Men need to change their point of view in order
for society to change.” I had shown her Miss
Representation, a documentary on the role of the media’s portrayal of women
in the underrepresentation of women in positions of power. Her cool response to
the documentary was disconcerting. She expressed her apathy and pessimism based
on the dependency of the cause on the male perspective only after I explained
that feminism is really about breaking down the barriers that prevent all
people from having equal opportunity and freedom to choose their path. She,
like the young women submitting to the blog Women Against Feminism, felt that
the feminist movement was outdated, unnecessary and that feminists were mostly
man-haters who believed in the superiority of women.
The
Women Against Feminism Tumblr page, which claims to denounce the feminist
movement in favor of human rights and the equality of all people, sparked
online debates which drew the attention of NBC’s TODAY Show in a segment titled
“Is feminism still relevant?
Some women posting why they don't need it.” Women posting on the blog end the phrase “I don’t
need feminism because…” with statements that range from embracing traditional
feminine roles to rejecting misandry and the portrayal of women as victims.
On the
Today Show’s segment, journalist Soledad O’Brien and MSNBC anchor Abby Huntsman
expressed their solidarity with the feminist movement but admitted
understanding of anti-feminist sentiments. O’Brien expressed that she feels the
word feminism has been “hijacked” and
aligned with the actions of fringe-groups who do “things that are perceived to
be bad.” Huntsman, on the other hand, said that feminists could do more to
promote the movement in a positive and inclusive light, to be clear that it’s
possible to be a stay-at-home mom, pro-life, and/or love men and also be a feminist.
Also featured on the segment was xoJane.com Executive Editor Emily McCombs, who
wrote a response article to the Tumblr page “I was a Woman Against
Feminism, and I Get It (But Also Knock It Off)” in which she argues that
anti-feminism is a “subconscious strategy for coping in a sexist society” and
“based on an assumption that inequality is the way of the world”. Coming from
her own experience she writes, “By gaining the approval of those in charge, I
hoped to gain access to the perks and opportunities of masculinity.” In essence,
the dialogue sparked by the Women Against Feminism as reflected on the Today
Show is not one of whether or not feminism is still relevant, but rather why
young women might not understand that it is.
The
question then is why do young women have a negative perspective of feminism?
The answer is wrapped up in the reason feminism is still necessary. Women who
have succeeded in politics and industry are associated with their status as sex
objects and with all the worst attributes of power by the media. Media is the
primary tool by which young women in the United States learn about the world
and they are learning that feminists are hateful. The feminist movement
advocates for a level of equality which gives everyone, regardless of their
gender identification, the opportunity to make lifestyle choices that align
with their own conscience. There is no
denying that there have been groups whose anger and indignation inspired
hateful discourse antithetical to the cause of feminism. However, seeking to paint
the actions of a few as representative of the greater cause is no doubt the
work of those who wish to maintain the status quo. Feminism if for no other
reason is still relevant because young women are taught to think feminists and
powerful women are bitchy man-haters.
Beyond
misconceptions, feminism maintains its relevance because while much progress
has been made in the fight for equality, women are still grossly underrepresented
in positions of power. The Women Against Feminism Tumblr page proves that
feminism has yet to accomplish much needed work. Anti-feminist speech reflects
all the various ways in which women are held back from pursuing leadership
roles by negative depictions of feminists and successful women. Whether young
women identify as feminists or not, the feminist movement does the hard work
that allows young women to choose their own paths, regardless if the dream job
is stay-at-home mom or President.
In a
world that teaches young women, like my niece, that society won’t change unless
men want it to change, feminism empowers young women to take the fight for
economic equality and equal representation into their own hands. We as a
country need feminism because equal representation of all genders in positions
of power is necessary in order to ensure that every citizen can enjoy the
rights and liberties guaranteed to them. I need feminism because I want to live
in a world where equal opportunity isn’t dependent on the male perspective.
-Allysha Roth
