Stop saying you’re a feminist.
Yes, you read that correctly. The first thing that will probably enter your head is anger and questions similar to “Why is she saying that? Is she an idiot?” You’re probably ready to write an impassioned email to the editors of the magazine or to me but first, let me ask you a question: who do you think I’m addressing?
I’m merely addressing “feminists” who bash on men, focus only on cis women and white females. “Feminists” who taint the idea of feminism to those who are uneducated about fighting for women’s rights and the label that circles that idea. “Feminists” who only cause more hardships and confusion for our fight for equality.
Before heading to the content of this article, the definition of feminism must be made clear. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary states that feminism is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.
Referring first to feminists who loathe men and go as far to attack and bring them down, please re-read the definition of feminism until it sticks in your head.
Feminism is not synonymous to hurting men. Feminism means bringing women up to the social, economic and political status of men. To achieve so, there is no need to bring men to the status of a woman from the 1800s. What is needed to attain our goal as feminists, is to effectively give rights to women that are equal to that of a man.
Now, in regards to feminists who only give voices to cis women, you ignore women who faces a different types of hardships to the point of being told that they are not women.
Regarding the question, What Makes a Woman by Elinor Burkett, a vagina does not make a woman. It is the gender identity of an individual that makes a woman. Whether someone was born a woman or not, that person has the right to identify as a woman. The brains of a woman and a man do not differ but to shame a transgender woman merely for feeling much more comfortable in the stereotyped clothes of a woman and makeup is ridiculous. Imagine calling a woman who was born with a vagina stupid just because of wearing a dress with high heels and makeup.
Women who are cisgender and non-cisgender face different kinds of oppression and gender inequality but are still women. The bounds of feminism still reaches those who are transgender women since they are women.
And finally, to give attention to white feminists, ignoring other races does not solve the problem of gender inequality. The definition of feminism doesn’t say “the belief that men and white women should have equal rights and opportunities.”
It is the privilege of white women that sets women of color apart from them that gives them different problems in terms of gender inequality. To prove my point, look no further than the Academy Award winning movie, Hidden Figures which is based on a true story. And though segregation does not exist anymore in America, black women still fear going out because of their gender and the color of their skin.
You may not even realize it but you could be a white feminist. A white feminist is someone who fights for the rights of women but only for those who are white. They effectively exacerbate feminism for women of color since they ignore intersectional feminism.
Intersectional feminism is defined as feminism that takes in account the backgrounds of women such as their race, nationality, religion, sexuality and other traits that would impact on how to look at the kind of oppression they face. It is based on the term “intersectionality” which was coined by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw.
See, feminism isn’t just fashioning a matriarchy out of a patriarchy, it’s the act of destroying gender inequality for all genders. It creates a world where women, men and all people can walk in peace, have wages that aren’t based on your sex and wear clothes they want to wear.
So don’t bother to send that angry email you thought of sending when you read the title. Instead, think of what I wrote and ponder on this: do you deserve to call yourself a feminist?
