Why I'm Proud to Call Myself a TEENAGE FEMINIST
Hello beautiful! I hope you all are doing well! School is ALMOST OVER, and I am so ready to be able to post more consistently during the summer! Today's post is about feminism and the weird misconceptions surrounding it, especially in the teenage community. I think that sexism can be a lot more subtle nowadays, but it 100% still exists. This post will be about my opinions, so if you disagree, feel free to express your thoughts and ideas in the comments, but don't expect me to change my own.
A lot of disagreement surrounding feminism comes from a place of misunderstanding. Not everyone has the same definition of feminism, so we're arguing about completely different topics. So, let me define feminism before we get into the rest of this discussion.
What is Feminism?
Here's my personal definition: the belief that all sexes and genders deserve equal rights, treatment, and opportunities. Feminism definitely isn't hatred of men. It's not knowing how to fix cars and never wearing pink. But, of course wear the clothes you want and do the things you want to do. That's kind of the point. Women get the same autonomy as men. If you think that women deserve to be treated like they're humans, you are a feminist. Congrats!
I'm saying this because I think there's this tension around saying that you're a feminist. There's this idea that being a feminist means that you think that all women should be put on a pedestal above all men. In my opinion, it's absurd that this exists, but many people (most often men...) are saying that they aren't feminists. What hurts even more is the rare event when a woman says that she isn't a feminist. Using the very rights to use your voice that feminism gives you to disagree with feminism seems ironic to me.
Why is Teenage Feminism Important?
I'm lucky. I've had the privilege to grow up in a time where it's in the law that women should get the same rights as men. About 50 years ago, that wasn't the case. I've also had the privilege to learn about all of the opportunities that women were held back from for most of history. If anyone tries to do something similar to me, I'll know because of my eduction, and I won't stay silent about it.
Protecting the Future
Teenagers are the ones that will pave the way for the future. It's our ideas that will change the way society works and the way this country is run. If we have an overwhelming population of feminist teenagers, that essentially ensures a fairer life for women in generations to come. But, if we have an overwhelmingly sexist group of people running the show, we might just go backwards in history and strip women of the rights we were just granted 50 years ago.
Our ideas define the lives of our children and grandchildren. Stay aware of the mistakes made in the past, so we don't make them again. It's up to us as the new generation.
Protecting Ourselves Today
Feminism can also help us hold on to our rights, not necessarily in the future, but today.
Demeaning comments made by classmates and teachers at school, people touching you in places where you're uncomfortable, and assumptions that girls are incompetent or inferior are all examples of sexism that any teenage girl may have gone through. These are not things that should continue, and we have to know sexism when we see it in order to fight back.
In the event that someone would want to infringe on a woman's rights--and it disgusts me to say this--the easier targets are usually young girls. Sexists might see young girls as more naive, more compliant, and less intelligent, which means they think we won't fight back. That's why we have to inform ourselves and stay aware of our own rights to protect ourselves and protect our future.
Thank you so much for sticking with me until the end of this post! If you read my first ever post, you know that I'm very passionate about topics like feminism, and I know that I can be very opinionated about these topics. If you have something to add in the conversation, put it in the comments.
Remember, if you ever need a hand, girl, let me help!
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