The F word (aka feminism)

A word can have many meanings and people can interpret it differently. The one I got curious about lately, and that’s been getting a lot of attention from the public is – FEMINISM. It has many layers to it, a lot of history behind it and apparently a lot of confusion about it nowadays. So what exactly is happening with feminism and how are people perceiving it in the 21st century?

Who better to represent a modern day woman that is a feminists but Emma Watson. This young lady is involved with so many issues that girls around the world are facing and is using her popularity to raise awareness and address important problems. Her speech for HeForShe campaign at the UN was so powerful. What shocked me is that Emma was actually advised not to use the word feminism in her speech. She told Porter magazine: “I was encouraged not to use the word ‘feminism’ because people felt that it was alienating and separating, and the whole idea of the speech was to include as many people as possible,” she explained. “But I thought long and hard and ultimately felt that it was just the right thing to do. If women are terrified to use the word, how on earth are men supposed to start using it?” Just how did we come to this point where feminism became a bad thing? Did we get to reinterpret it over the decades and give it a new, negative meaning? Why does it seem that empowering female gender became fighting against the male one?

If we rewind back, feminism was originally about women and men having equal rights and opportunities. Anyone who calls themselves a feminist must always remember that. It was never a fight between genders; it was about bringing changes into society that needed to learn how to treat females. Big progress has been made, but there are still many countries that don’t provide rights and freedom of even basic level to their women, just because of their gender. That is why we all need to call ourselves feminists. But we also need to understand what that means and why everyone needs to get involved. We need to stop using feminism as something that creates gender gaps and animosity. We should use it to do the exact opposite. Fighting for women’s right is not a fight against men. If anything, it is a battle we should face together. We should educate young boys to understand that being a girl in some parts of the world means that you won’t get to go to school. It may also mean that you won’t get to choose who you marry and you may end up a child bride. It may also mean that she will be paid less than him for the same job. If we all understand these huge issues, feminism will not be seen as a negative thing. People around the world will proudly call themselves feminists and work on making the world a better place.

My name is Ivona and I am a feminist. I fight for women, but not against men. I want rights, I want equality. How about you?