Recently, an article was released from thedailybeast.com discussing how feminists are stereotyped by the way they look. It essentially stated that “feminine” feminists are not taken as seriously as radical feminists when they should be. Now this got me thinking– as a feminist myself, what does this mean for me? I enjoy shoes, shopping and a pretty dress every now and then, but I want to be treated as an equal when it comes to society (a scary thought right?). However, clarification needs to be made as to what feminism really is. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines it as “the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes.” It seems simple, but the words from a dictionary differ tremendously from that of society. There is a stereotype for feminist women: man-hating, having hairy legs and armpits, acting masculine and despising other women who don’t join them in rebelling against the patriarchy. You can be none of those things and still be a feminist. The stereotypes stem from the radical feminism in the 1980s, and while at one time the stereotype was relatively true, not everyone fits it today.
When it comes to stereotypes, there is only one remedy: you have to educate the people who think that way. Here at UT, there are a bunch of women’s studies classes, one particularly interesting class about feminist philosophy. The class covers all of the basics of feminism and helps disprove a lot of those pesky stereotypes while talking in-depth about what makes up feminism and its simplicity. A student currently taking the class, sophomore Kyle Robert says,“I definitely believe there is a stereotype, which is a man-hating, reverse-sexist person. Once again going back to the extremists, people hastily generalize a group based on the actions of a few.”
There are plenty of celebrities who claim to be feminists, such Ryan Gosling, Joss Whedon and Zooey Deschanel (who is a very feminine figure). They do not live up to the stereotype, yet the stereotype still exists. People generalize feminism, though it is simply an idea of equality. Why is it that feminism has a negative connotation? Robert commented, “Mainly because [feminists] challenge a lot of already established social constructs, and I guess people just don’t like change. And like any sort of faction, you have extremists which detriment that faction by bringing negative attention to themselves. Doesn’t mean that entire group is bad, and who knows, extremist may also have a point sometimes.”
People fear change, but the feminist movement has been happening since Mary Wollstonecraft crafted her essay “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” in 1792. In the last 220 years a lot of change has happened, but there isn’t complete equality between the genders. It was not until 1920 that women got the right to vote in the United States, and we have yet to see a female president. Although, there has been some progress in the world, as there has been at least one female prime minister in England. This idea of craving equality and reaching sufficient equal ground between males and females won’t be a passing trend. Feminism gives a name to those who want this equality and because of society’s definitions and stereotypes, it has been demonized to mean something that it is not.
When you educate groups of people on something rather than let them follow what society has to say about it, opinions can change. Robert says, “The feminism class definitely changed the way I view the word ‘feminist’ and all that it entails. Feminism is all about opposing views, being equally legitimate, so long as they are not forced upon by others or society, so it benefits men as well as women.” People do not have to follow society’s constructs of feminism or gender roles. Most feminists don’t always want to be superior to men– they just want to be equal and taken seriously.
Whether or not it is a crazy notion that women are people too, females deserve the right to be considered equal to their male counterparts. Those that believe this do not always fit under the umbrella of stereotypes. People can harbor their beliefs and not be an outward representation. A feminist can wear a dress. Men can be feminists. There should not be an expectation that comes along with someone who believes very passionately about a cause. Groups of people should not be judged because of the extremists that share a similar view. Just because a couple people do one thing and brand themselves as feminist does not mean everyone that shares their idea for liberation is crazy. You cannot judge a person because of a stereotype; you have to understand all the layers.