In the most basic sense, feminism is exactly what the dictionary says it is: the movement

for social, political, and economic equality of men and women. Public opinion polls confirm
that when people are given this definition, 67 percent say they agree with feminism. We
prefer to add to that seemingly uncontroversial statement the following: feminism means
that women have the right to enough information to make informed choices about their
lives. And because "women" is an all encompassing term that includes middle-class white
women, rich black lesbians, and working-class straight Asian women, an organic
intertwining with movements for racial and economic equality, as well as gay rights, is
inherent to the feminist mandate. Some sort of allegiance between women and men is also
an important component of equality. After all, equality is a balance between the male and
female with the intention of liberating the individual.
Breaking down that one very basic definition, feminism has three components. It is
a movement, meaning a group working to accomplish specific goals. Those goals are social
and political change-implying that one must be engaged with the government and law, as
well as social practices and beliefs. And implicit to these goals is access to sufficient
information to enable women to make responsible choices.
In reality, feminism wants you to be whoever you are-but with a political consciousness.
And, vice versa: You want to be a feminist because you want to be exactly who you are.
That may be a person patriarchal society doesn't value or allow-from a female cadet at the
Citadel to a lesbian mother. Maybe you feel aligned with the self-determination and human
rights implicit in feminism, but you also organize your life around race, religion, or class,
rather than solely around gender. For instance, in the Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's
History, the editors list 17 prominent kinds of feminism based on identity, including
American Indian, Arab American, Asian American, Jewish, Latina, Lesbian, Marxist, Puerto
Rican, and Working Class. There are also womanists, which, as coined and defined by
novelist and poet Alice Walker, designates a black feminist (womanists are rarely men)
without having to "add a color to become visible." Womanism, distinct from feminism's often
white-centered history, is an alternative casting of the same basic beliefs about equality and
freedom, and few womanists would deny the link to feminism. While each of these groups is
magnetized by political equality, some additional aspect of their personhood needs to be
emphasized because it affects their struggle for equality.
Using a qualifier in order to further define identity is very different from foregoing the
feminist label altogether. For instance, women within other social justice movementsenvironmental, peace, human rights, and hip-hop, for example-often opt for the term
"humanist." Although humanism includes men (and especially those who aren't white or
otherwise privileged), in reality, it is a retreat from feminism. Using humanism as a
replacement for feminism is also a misuse of the term-theologically, humanism is a rejection
of supernaturalism, not an embrace of equality between men and women. Internationally,
twice as many women as men are illiterate, and it was only in 1998 that an international
court denounced rape as a form of torture in prison, and as a war crime when conducted
systematically by the military. Along those lines, gender-based persecution isn't recognized
as grounds for asylum in the United States, which means that women who are likely to be
killed by their husbands or sure to be genitally mutilated if they return to their countries are
usually put on the next plane back, regardless of this potential danger. (Or, like Adelaide
Abankwa and Fauzyia Kasinja, they are imprisoned for years, and only granted permanent

residency, and later asylum after long campaigns conducted on their behalf by U.S.
feminists.) Feminism seeks to include women in human rights

The most obvious example of co-opting feminist issues is the movement against
domestic violence. Until feminism, there was no word for battered women or
domestic violence, no legal argument of self-defense for women who killed their
abusers, and no shelter system. In the seventies and eighties, shelters, funded by
grassroots feminist groups and fledgling foundations (like the early Ms. Foundation
for Women), proliferated, but the government, police, and media outlets still paid
very little attention to violence within the home. Now, there is an organized
battered women's movement of shelters, awareness campaigns, reformed laws and
police practices, and legislative strategies.
Now, let's discuss what a feminist isn't. T-shirt and button slogans such as a feminist is
"opposite of a doormat" and "not a masochist" have outworn their usefulness in bringing
clarity to the subject. Feminism is more often described by what it isn't than what it is,
which creates some confusion (and is the reason why we defined it before going into all
this). The inadvertently humorous descriptions by Right-wing ideologues such as Pat
Robertson don't help, either: "Feminists encourage women to leave their husbands, kill their
children, practice witchcraft, become lesbians, and destroy capitalism." Of course, that
definition is not so much wrong as hyperbolic. To a fundamentalist, that's just a description
of no-fault divorce laws, abortion rights, rejection of God as a Father, acceptance of female
sexuality, and a commitment to workers.
Nonetheless, women far to the left of Robertson still fear feminism. The fact that the
feminist movement has developed networks to help women who are victimized is one
reason that women fear the word. Identifying ourselves as feminists means addressing
uncomfortable topics: the humiliation of being discriminated against, the fact that we are
vulnerable when we walk home late at night or even in our homes, or the sadness of
discovering that the sons in our families are treated altogether differently from the
daughters. Injustice and oppression are hard to face, a fact that is evident in the number of
rape and sexual harassment charges that emerge years, even decades, after the event
actually happened.

Feminists fought for a realistic legal definition of rape that acknowledged degrees of
sexual assault (and protected male rape victims, too), a minimum one-year statute
of limitations, rape shield laws that prohibit using a victim's sexual history against
her (or him), and the training of emergency room and police personnel to gather
evidence, including a so-called "rape kit," when a victim comes into their hospitals
or precincts. Feminism's philosophy certainly isn't narrow-minded enough to be
solely about our sexuality or our pay-checks, and certainly not about man-hating or
chivalry. (In our opinion, whoever gets to the door first should be responsible for
opening it). Still, some people choose to stay away from feminism because they
don't want to be associated with spooky stereotypes about feminists and their
freaky excesses. You know this rap: some feminists think all sex is rape, all men
are evil, that you have to be a lesbian to be a feminist, you can't wear Girlie clothes
or makeup, or that married women are lame. This conversation is usually baiting

and can ride the force of homophobia or internalized Phallofilia (socialized

glorification of the male principle and men). Women who love lipstick and also
standing up for themselves, but are not politicized, are especially vulnerable to
being conned into distancing themselves from the movement, while fully hoping for
and expecting to be treated equally. The idea that all feminists are lesbians is scary
enough for some women to stay away from the feminist label and movement, even
when their beliefs are basically feminist," wrote Barbara Findlen in her pioneering
anthology Listen Up: Voices from the Next Feminist Generation. Homophobia is as
essential to root out of the movement as racism was and is. Besides, regardless of
one's sexuality, all people have a vested interest in reclaiming the inherent dignity
of the terms lesbian, gay, and queer, since straight women who refuse a
subservient role (and straight men who refuse to dominate) are likely to be called
gay.

In truth, the movement is comprised of women from all points on the sexual
spectrum. And, because they may be more able to risk male disapproval, lesbian
and bisexual women have had a particularly creative and strong history in the
women's movement, Even when the winds of misogyny and homophobia aren't
blowing feminism's house down, women can be their own big bad wolves.
Injudicious niceness, which is a socialized disease, often explains why women tend
not to demand equality. It also may be why feminist women feel it necessary to
answer questions that are hostile to feminism, no matter how silly or offensive.
Conversely, when a woman is politically oriented and knowledgeable about history,
she knows the burden of proof should be on the questioner and is less likely to have
a misguided sense of politeness. When someone asks, "Why is it that all feminists
think they are better than men?" (or insert any weird generalization involving
lesbians, matriarchies, and hatred of sex), one should respond with something
along the lines of "Who are you referring to?"
To sum up, feminism is helped by a working knowledge of history, and requires a
willingness to act on behalf of yourself, and to stand up for all women in the face of
everything from misogyny to a social mandate that says "be nice."
Feminism is a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a
common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic, personal, and social rights for
women that are equal to those of men.[1][2] This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for
women in education and employment.
Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for women's rights, including the
right to vote, to hold public office, to work, to earn fair wages or equal pay, to own property, to
receive education, to enter contracts, to have equal rights withinmarriage, and to have maternity
leave. Feminists have also worked to promote bodily autonomy and integrity, and to protect women
and girls from rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence.[3]

Feminist theory has explored the social construction of masculinity and its implications for the goal of
gender equality. The social construct of masculinity is seen by feminism as problematic because it
associates males with aggression and competition, and reinforces patriarchal and unequal gender
relations.[63][207] Patriarchal cultures are criticized for "limiting forms of masculinity" available to men
and thus narrowing their life choices.[208] Some feminists are engaged with men's issues activism,
such as bringing attention to male rape and spousal battery and addressing negative social
expectations for men.[209][210][211]
Male participation in feminism is encouraged by feminists and is seen as an important strategy for
achieving full societal commitment to gender equality.[5][212][213] Many male feminists and profeminists are active in both women's rights activism, feminist theory, and masculinity studies.
However, some argue that while male engagement with feminism is necessary, it is problematic
because of the ingrained social influences of patriarchy in gender relations. [214]The consensus today
in feminist and masculinity theories is that both genders can and should cooperate to achieve the
larger goals of feminism.[208] It has been proposed that, in large part, this can be achieved through

Beyonc hasnt been the only torchbearer for gender

equality in music this year. Country newcomer Kira Isabella addresses date rape in
her SPIN-approved song Quarterback, while the Seattle punks in Childbirth and
Tacocat make light of female-specific hurdles like periods, menopause, andstreet
harassment. Mish Way of White Lung addresses sexual victimization as well in the
bands song I Believe You, about a woman too frightened to come forward about
her assault.
considerations of women's agency.

Having so many prominent musicians bring womens issues to light will bring us
closer to destigmatizing a term which, at its core, only promotes equality. Too many
influential figures have already given this generation the wrong idea Time actually
slapped it onto their annual Words That Should Be Banned poll for 2015. Feminism
is not slang like #YOLO or #YAAAAS, something to be ousted from the lexicon for
overstaying its welcome. The fight for womens rights should be fundamental,
evolving to a place where female musicians can safely crowd-surf without being
violated and arent at the lyrical mercy of their male familiars or harassed on social media.
Just because its a trending topic doesnt mean its simply a trend.
In order for feminism to transcend its current status and be truly cemented in everyday
conversation, we must turn to public education
The word feminist is tossed around in everyday conversation as if it were a
trending hashtag rather than a movement that requires action.
Women have come a long way from the 18th century, when we were defined
as societys domesticated, modest and religiously moral beings void of
opportunities in political voting, higher education and professional occupations.

This was an era where we were expected to wear hats that looked like edible
arrangements and brassieres that essentially cut off blood circulation to the
brain.
Clearly progress has been made, but perhaps the most recent change of womens
roles in society is being associated with the concept of feminism.
The feminism moniker is a trending classification, thanks in part to celebrities
like Miley Cyrus, Emma Watson and Lady Gaga, 20th Century female role models
who all declared they were feminists in 2013. Recording
artist Beyonc produced a song about being a feminist that compels women to
declare and embrace the title proudly.
Some people may believe that feminism is definitiveeither you identify as a
feminist or you dont. Either you want men and women to be equal politically,
economically, culturally, personally and socially, or you dont. If you are a
feminist, you are expected to self-define as supporting the rights and equality of
women.
But being a feminist does not serve as a self-proclaimed label, and identifying
with the term does not determine that you are on
There is no meaning to that sentence, only beliefs and ideas being thrown around
in daily conversation and social media. Real feminists include women like Betty
Friedan, the American writer and activist who wrote The Feminine Mystique in
1963, which sparked the second wave of feminism in the 60s and 70s. Friedan
spent her entire life building womens equality with the establishment of the
National Womens Political Caucus and the Womens Strike For Equality.
American author Gloria Steinem, who led womens liberation movements
throughout the 60s and 70s and founded the feminist-themed magazine Ms.
Bell Hooks, was known for her social activism that was often mirrored through
her writing of oppression, womens rights and race.
Maya Angelou, through her public speaking and powerful writing, inspired both
women and African-Americans to overcome gender and race discrimination.
Today, we still see women taking action and redefining what it means to be a
feminist.
Russian feminist punk rock protest group Pussy Riot, founded in August 2011,
is comprised of women who stage unauthorized and provocative guerrilla

performances in unusual public locations. In 2012, three members were thrown

into jail after a performance in Moscows Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which
they said was directed at the Orthodox Church leaders support for Putin during
his election campaign.
These are feminists, women who risk their well-being and freedom to spark
change, women who dont just say they are feminists, women who do as feminists
do.
It is important for modern women to not settle with the justification that we are
feminists because we believe in equality and then let other women do the job for
us. If you are a feminist, stop talking about it and immerse yourself in the havoc.