Monday, February 24, 2014

Do women embrace feminism the way they used to?

Feminism to this day seems to be a dirty word in society even more so than the past because women lack the confidence they once had while fighting for the right to vote during the first wave of feminism and the second wave with the Betty Friedan time period of The Feminine Mystique. Women do not embrace feminism in fact I find that when people are asked if they are a feminist they immediately put on a distasteful look on their face. In my curiosity I looked up the word feminist in the Urban Dictionary and it said, "someone who believes the radical notion that women are people." Although this particular dictionary is a farce, the fact that in the 21st century this is an acceptable thing to use as a definition is blasphemy and tells me that we really haven't come that far. We have the right to vote but we still do not have equal pay and men still receive a higher chain of command in the workplace. Not only the economy aspect of things but also the social aspect of society.  I think that women's poor self esteem fits somewhere in feminism because media and society make women feel as if they must look and act a certain way to be successful. This conformity leads to the restrictions brought on by feminism and most women would prefer to fit in the "correct" category that doesn't attract scornful attention to themselves. Feminism is all about pushing the boundaries that a man-led society forces on us, but the lack of support in today's age makes me feel as if lack of equality is painting women in a corner opposite of feminism.  The source of media I choose was a photo of a man supporting feminism and I feel like this aspect of feminism is forgotten - the fact that men need to also support equality for all as well.

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