I’m a feminist and it upsets me that some people reading this will feel negatively towards that claim. Personally I want what is right and equal for both genders. Surely that’s a good thing? What pollutes this claim is people who say they are feminists but use it as a tool for men-hating.
To establish where I stand I’ve listed the things I think should change to allow us to reach a fair and equal society:
- Women should be paid equally if they are performing the same tasks at the same ability as a man.
- Women should not be judged on how many sexual partners she has had.
- If a woman OR a man says no, then “no means no”. To make it clear, this is for both genders, both men and women experience sexual assault and both men and women should be able to speak out about it.
- Men should be able to express how they are feeling, there is no shame in that.
- Men should feel comfortable seeking help when they need it. In 2013, 78% of UK suicides were male. If that statistic does not make you feel like something is wrong, then I’m not sure what will.
I feel like women’s roles have completely shifted and we are experiencing so much now and I have to say I have very rarely felt like I can achieve less than the males around me, I have always felt like I have been given an equal chance growing up and even now.
I thought I might list below some issues that people have and how I feel about it:
- Punching women- Yes, I agree that is wrong. I tell you what is also wrong, a woman punching a man. I’ve seen videos where women have completely beaten up a man and they were almost hospitalised because they were unable to defend themselves. I believe that if you’ve decided to attack a man, understand that they should be able to defend themselves if they need to. It’s your own fault if you throw a punch and get one back.
- Holding doors open- Now, let me just establish that people I know have been angry at this before. That you have opened a door for them, because you’re pointing out that they are a female and perhaps too weak to do this themselves. When in fact, you were just being polite and holding a door for them. Literally, this is a thing. Anyway, I believe that it’s a kind act. If a man held open the door for me, then that’s kind and I’d do the same for anyone else male or female behind me. If a woman did it for me, then that’s also a kind act, because who cares! Who cares what gender they are? If someone holds a door open for me, then that’s nice.
- Dates- Now, if you are a male it’s nice to be chivalrous, but if we go out for a meal, then I want to pay for half of it, or whoever has more money at the time pays for it, male or female. It’s up to anyone to make the first move, not just the man. Also, this ‘bad boy’ thing makes me ill, someone who is 95% testosterone and shows no emotion apart from the stereotypical anger and sexual desire. In order to be treated with respect avoid it please.
It upsets me, feminism is about equality and this benefits EVERYONE, I don’t understand why people’s image of feminists is so distorted.
As a side note, my views on other feminist campaigns:
- Free the nipple campaign- Personally I’m not someone who would want to show my nipples off even if this was alright to do for women. However, I completely understand the claim. It’s almost comical that women’s boobs with the nipple showing can be taken off of social media for nudity, but the whole boob with a little black strip over the nipple is fine. Also, men’s nipples are fine. I’ve actually seen some people copy and pasting men’s nipples onto a women’s breast and that’s also fine. It’s ridiculous, so personally I hope they have some success. “You do you” and all that.
- Breastfeeding- This is also ridiculous, if a baby is hungry they should be fed. Nipples were actually made for this purpose; you added a sexual connotation to them. Let them be used for their primary function. Actually if this is too much, then instead of attacking, just sit somewhere else, that’s cool too.
I understand I was a little direct with this post, but I just feel like it’s really important to bring a good name back to feminism. You should not feel ashamed to call yourself a feminist. It benefits everyone if it’s done right!
Notesense 