"I am strictly a female female"

[longleggedgit]

This post has been building up for a while, mainly in response to a lot of people I've been dealing with out here in the real world. But I think LJ is a great outlet for organizing my thoughts on issues, and also a great place for me to just get my voice heard about things I feel are important. This issue in particular is very important to me

Comments

[prpl_pen]

Yesss. I'm always quite frankly just boggled at the way so many women will disclaimer their views on various issues with the statement "I'm not a feminist," like it's a dirty word. Or people who are like "RARR, I hate feminists!" I think it's so often just that they are confused about what feminism actually is.

[longleggedgit]

It boggles me, too. It really has just become another type of obscenity to most people, which is a real shame. I'll never forget hearing my best friend in high school say offhandedly, "I hate feminists," and then, when I informed her I was one, her clarification, "Well, you know, just the kind who don't shave their armpits." It's really just a great big confused, ignorance-laden mess.

[prpl_pen]

Clearly it's all Rush Limbaugh's fault. :|

But, seriously, it frustrates me that it's become such a hard concept to grasp. There's just all this confusion and baggage attached to it now that it really obfuscates the core concept, which I think most people would agree with if you presented it to them free of the "feminism" label.

[longleggedgit]

HAHA. Sadly, I think it'd be going on even if ol' Rush had never been born.

It's an extremely hard issue to argue with people, too, because a lot of times, yeah, it's ONLY the title that is what's throwing people off. And quite frankly, it just plain shouldn't. I really hope that at some point in my lifetime, feminism ceases to be seen as a bad word.

[sedgeshaveedges]

I love you I love you I love you!
This is fantastic!

[longleggedgit]

I love you more!

Not that I had any doubts about you, but I'm glad to hear people agree. ♥

[cmere]

Fantastic post, hon! A link I personally love and throw around like free candy when this discussion comes up is the male privilege checklist.

[longleggedgit]

Thanks, sweetheart. :) And oh excellent, I have read this before and it's definitely a great resource. I'm going to edit to link to this, too, thank you! ♥

[thistlerose]

WORD.

Frankly, I have a great deal of scorn for women who insist that they're not feminists.

[longleggedgit]

I do, too. I have a great deal of scorn for women in particular, but also just people in general who insist they're not. To me, it's the same as saying "I support sexism and discrimination against women!"

[fer_de_lance]

Me, too.

Especially ones who say things like: "But I've known a feminist who wanted special rights and didn't like men!"

Because I want to shake them and shout YOU CANNOT JUDGE A GROUP BY ONE MEMBER! THIS IS WHY FEMINISM IS NEEDED! STOP BELIEVING THE OPPRESSOR! Because "inferior" groups, including women, are judged exactly this way. A stupid man is a fluke; a stupid woman is proof that the entire female sex can't make four from two and two.

"But men are hurt by stereotypes too!" is another hot-button. Yes, it's unfortunate that men are stereotyped, too. It is NOT, however, "sexism". Sexism is a stereotype backed by a power structure. (Any kind of -ism is.) This is like claiming that it's racism to assume all whites are educated and financially solvent.

[longleggedgit]

Hmm, I think we're probably defining sexism differently. Obviously the majority of it is toward women, but I have definitely seen some behavior in my day that I could only define as sexism toward men as well. Especially young boys. And there are -ism terms that I don't think necessarily require a power structure to back them - ageism, for example, which often manifests itself in the young stereotyping the elderly AND the elderly stereotyping the young. That one is almost divided 50/50, honestly.

[lion]

I was going to link to the male privilege check-list too. *laughs* Fabulous post. Absolutely fabulous. *thumbs up*

[longleggedgit]

It's a good one, isn't it? I'm surprised I forgot to in the first place.

Thank you! I'm glad to see so many people in agreement; it makes me feel better about the world, hahahah. ♥