“Our strength has nothing to do with the fact that we can’t look good or have good legs; strength’s entirely independent. Sometimes, when people hear the word ‘feminist,’ they think that means looking down on the idea of being feminine, but you can be feminine and feminist.”
—Diane von Furstenberg
Feminism is an ongoing conversation. It is a state of mind: feminism means being open, and most importantly, being aware.
At least that’s my definition.
. . .
xx
Marily monroe said “women who aim to be like men don’t have any ambition.”(or some variation of this). I agree b/c its easier to say I will be more like men to get opportunities. It’s harder to be like a woman and get your opportunity, but in the end, isn’t that the true progress?
I love that! I adore Marilyn, she was overlooked as an intelligent woman.
It’s so true. By likening ourselves to men – dressing like them (though I appreciate and understand androgyny in dress), acting what we believe is “masculine” – we’re only continuing to fall to patriarchy and reinforcing the idea that power is automatically masculine. Downplaying our femininity is to say we’re weaker when there’s no such thing. It’s allowing patriarchy to continue – who’s to say that the system (corporately speaking to narrow it down) we’ve been using is the right one? Molding to “fit” this idea of what power and powerful means is to completely overlook the possibility of a new perspective.
That begs the question: What is feminine? What is masculine? Isn’t it all human?
It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around feminism. I feel like I’m talking in contradictory statements half the time. More readings need to be done on my part.
xo!
Feminism is defined by patriarchy theory. Patriarchy theory claims that men as a group have throughout history deliberately and successfully oppressed women and in doing so created a society designed to benefit men.
Men have intimate relationships with women throughout their lives (mothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives, daughters etc). The feminist claim that men deliberately oppress these women automatically defines men as sociopaths. It also defines women as weak, powerless victims. And it also ignores that fact that men (and women) are largely the product of their upbringing, and that women have always been the primary caregivers especially in those crucial early years of a child’s life where behavioural patterns and (gender) identity are formed.
In this post feminist society full of single mums and fatherless upbringings feminist theory would suggest boys would grow up to be empathetic, morally virtuous, well balanced individuals (with out the corrupting influence of evil patriarchal men) …… but the opposite is true. Without interaction with fathers in early development boys are statistically far more likely to join gangs and become involved in criminality. Girls are also adversely affected by fatherless upbringings. Fathers are essential for the development of empathy and self restraint in both boys and girls. All of these facts are at odds with patriarchy theory.
You cannot just make up your own definitions of feminism, just like you cannot make up your own definitions of vegetarianism or atheism or racism.
Unfortunately feminism was hijacked decades ago and is now a powerful political movement (ie thinly disguised socialism) which relies on lobbying (power of the mob) to affect social and political change. In order to get the biggest ‘mob’ the feminist movement encourages everyone to make up their own definitions and then declare themselves a feminist. Even men are encouraged to become feminists now.
If you want to know what feminism really means (in practical terms) you need to look at those well funded feminists who sit in UN committees and actually affect political policy in the real world It’s all rather disturbing.
I would humbly suggest that if you support equal rights, if like being a woman and enjoy being feminine and if you don’t hate men and think they are all sociopaths and if you don’t like to see society torn apart by an irrational and destructive ideology then you are NOT a feminist after all 🙂
As for Monroe, there is strong evidence to suggest she was a sex slave for the ruling elite and possibly a mind control victim of the infamous MK Ultra program. At the very least her life was not her own and she was utterly controlled by her various handlers who effectively kept her under house arrest. See also: Britney Spears, Anna Nicole, Miley Cyrus and many other supposed ‘role models’ for young women. Hollywood/ Disney/ the music industry is basically a cult and that’s why all these celebrity women ‘role models’ fit the same template and promote the same corrupt values. Many of them have simply sold out, but many do seem to be there against their will …… eg Britney Spears who kept trying to escape, even shaving her hair off and driving for miles before being captured, put in a mental hospital and them shoved back on stage in a leather bikini with a glazed look on her face.
These women live wretched lives surrounded by creepy handlers and they promote the very opposite of female empowerment, but it is being branded as empowerment so that young girls copy it – and in doing so become powerless consumer slaves and good little feminist/ socialist tax cattle.
– As you can probably tell I’m not a huge fan of feminism 😉
First thigs first: feminism has different meanings for different people because each individual has “multiple jeopardies,” to quote Deborah King. A white woman’s feminist beliefs is not necessarily the same as a white woman of low socio-economic status’; nor is it the same as a black woman, or a lesbian.
Secondly: feminists and feminism do not, and does not, hate men. Feminism seeks equality: it fights patriarchy (*not* the entire male sex) because it’s patriarchy that oppresses women AND men alike. It creates binaries where binaries shouldn’t exist — what is “masculine” and “feminine” anyway, but two “opposing,” arbitrary descriptors? Patriarchy boxes men and women within confines of what and who they should be, what they should like, etc. This is why feminism is important. Patriarchy is perpetuated in the media — and so long as it exists, feminism is paramount for equality and understanding of both sexes because the media (and social environment) plays a large part on every child’s upbringing. Again — perpetuation of patriarchal ideas through media, children growing up in an environment highly saturated by media, etc., is what causes problems, NOT solve them.
But of course, to each their own: we are each entitled to our opinions. x