Over the past six months, we have certainly seen positive change when it comes to feminist progress. For example, in September of last year, the California State Senate unanimously voted to enact ‘Yes Means Yes’ legislation, which states that to engage in any sexual activity both parties must be making “an affirmative, unambiguous and conscious decision.” Though women predominantly lobbied for this decision, countless men undoubtedly got on board to make this a legal reality.
But, despite progress, there’s still evidence of ignorance. There are the Cee Lo Green‘s of the world who claim things like, “If she was unconscious, how could she say no?” It’s the same mentality that allows Urban Dictionary to add the word “Manism,” which is defined as “The unilateral law which states men are superior to women” which gives men “the right to act as they please.” You might know this by its other name, “misogyny.”
Examples of ignorance like these, even if/when they are meant as parody, shine a light on much deeper issues in our culture and force me to ask myself: Is the term ‘feminism’ really enough anymore? What has this term come to mean?
And now more than ever, there are incidents that fall somewhere in between: incidents that feel like feminism, but may be questionably so. Take for example the recent viral video sensation, “FBombs for Feminism.”
This viral video shows adorable girls dropping very real statistics and using very real language. But the objective of this ‘awareness campaign’ is, in fact, to sell T shirts. When women use feminism as a fashion statement, not only have we lost, but we’ve silenced 50% of the voices who should be part of this conversation: men.
Another major example of this in the past year is Emma Watson’s HeForShe address at the UN, in which she invited men to join the feminist cause.
This video quickly went viral. This is what we’d been waiting for, according to the masses. An explanation of feminism not as downtrodden women rising up, but human beings concerned for rights pertaining to women and equality.
I found it obvious. Feminism, as a movement for gender equality, has always encompassed men in that gender binaries, stereotypes, standards, etc. effect men and women alike. Inviting them now is redundant.
Look to the women of the 1940s who, without flair but with duty, got to work when their male counterparts went to war. Sure, the circumstances were specific and unique, but no one called them weak, whiny or incapable because they actively proved they were not.
So many women shy away from calling themselves feminists because of a petty thing like a label, allowing themselves to avoid what is right for fear of being pigeonholed. But the reality is movements are about actions. Pay inequality is wrong: Contest it! The rape statistics are too high: Educate yourselves and others! Even basic things like personal space are under attack. Let’s create a society where we do more than we say, where we don’t just rally, but put our words to work.
This maniacal over-thinking about labels that distracts from the work is detrimental, but we do it to ourselves. At some point we just have to own up to believing in something, popular conception be damned. We need to stop asking ourselves, “Wow will this look?” or “How will this sound?” and start asking ourselves, “How does this sit with me?” Even in the most minute situations, you can make a difference, at minimum in your own life and best for others, too.