Landere:
I have a good relationship with feminism. It is a word that empowers me and helps me look at the world, our society, and our relationships through a critical lens. It makes me stop and think and not just accept things the way they are. It makes me ask questions. I know many people however who are hesitant to align themselves with this "group" or who have a strong dislike for the word and those associated with it. I can understand this. I don't wear t-shirts that shout to the world my affiliation with this school of thought, nor do I often mention it in my daily interactions.
I don't like to label myself. I feel like this creates an "us" and "them" situation which rarely causes unity and understanding. I want my actions, my interactions, my values, to speak for themselves. I would like to put that word, feminist, out there though - to ask people what they think of it and why? If you take our old lexicon seriously than feminism's definition, the root of it all is simply, "the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes" (Webster's 11th Ed.) Does this resonant with you? Why? Or why not?
Russ:
Feminism. It's an abused word in our society, taking a lot of flak from the media and the conservative religious right. It's not a dirty word. It doesn't mean you hate others. It doesn't mean you hate men. Feminism means - you love yourself, and you're not afraid of standing up against inequality. It means, you have love for others too. Feminism means so much, many pages could be written about it. To condense it, feminism is the voice of reason in our society.
Reasoning - but also with kindness, with compassion. Feminism is not a club, its not a thing you do, it's not the activism that results - feminism is a way of being. It means critically assessing yourself, others, and your environment. It means, understanding the heavy foot of government and institutional inequalities in our society. It means understanding the social construction of identity and gender. It means understanding the media, symbolism and stereotypes that plague our society with unhealthy images of men and women.
For my whole life I am been deeply wondering about the social change that will save our society. I have wondered and feared and not known the answer to my question. For me, the answer is feminism. Feminism is a lens for looking at the world - clearly, with self understanding. Feminism also is also about studying our own lens.
Ashlyn:
Taken from bell hooks, because this is the most eloquent definition of feminism I have yet to find: "Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression." This definition is powerful because it is all-encompassing. Sure, feminism works to combat sexism, but today feminism works to bring light to all forms of oppression. Feminism looks at the intersecting aspects of people's identities and analyzes the connections between identity and lived experience.
I came into feminism with my introduction to college. Raised by a single mother and recognizing the differential treatment I received from society as I grew into a woman, feminism has always been there in my life, but the language has not. During my first year of college I conducted work-study in the Women's Resource Center on campus and took a women's history course. These experiences were all I needed to build my feminist foundations. Works by Jessica Valenti were also important in shaping my feminist consciousness.
Today, feminism is a major part of my identity. I have helped to organize a SlutWalk, which is a demonstration to "reclaim" the word "slut." I put the word reclaim in quotations because, though I have found it empowering to say that I am a slut (because I feel free to have sex with who I want, when I want, and I could care less what you think), it is a word that can and does hurt people. The word is too often thrown around to describe women (over men), to shame women for their sexualities, and is used to blame victims of rape and sexual assault for the abuse perpetrated by men. So much focus on SlutWalk here, but I bring feminism into my every day life by discussing these issues with people in person and on social media platforms.
I have a good relationship with feminism. It is a word that empowers me and helps me look at the world, our society, and our relationships through a critical lens. It makes me stop and think and not just accept things the way they are. It makes me ask questions. I know many people however who are hesitant to align themselves with this "group" or who have a strong dislike for the word and those associated with it. I can understand this. I don't wear t-shirts that shout to the world my affiliation with this school of thought, nor do I often mention it in my daily interactions.
I don't like to label myself. I feel like this creates an "us" and "them" situation which rarely causes unity and understanding. I want my actions, my interactions, my values, to speak for themselves. I would like to put that word, feminist, out there though - to ask people what they think of it and why? If you take our old lexicon seriously than feminism's definition, the root of it all is simply, "the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes" (Webster's 11th Ed.) Does this resonant with you? Why? Or why not?
Russ:
Feminism. It's an abused word in our society, taking a lot of flak from the media and the conservative religious right. It's not a dirty word. It doesn't mean you hate others. It doesn't mean you hate men. Feminism means - you love yourself, and you're not afraid of standing up against inequality. It means, you have love for others too. Feminism means so much, many pages could be written about it. To condense it, feminism is the voice of reason in our society.
Reasoning - but also with kindness, with compassion. Feminism is not a club, its not a thing you do, it's not the activism that results - feminism is a way of being. It means critically assessing yourself, others, and your environment. It means, understanding the heavy foot of government and institutional inequalities in our society. It means understanding the social construction of identity and gender. It means understanding the media, symbolism and stereotypes that plague our society with unhealthy images of men and women.
For my whole life I am been deeply wondering about the social change that will save our society. I have wondered and feared and not known the answer to my question. For me, the answer is feminism. Feminism is a lens for looking at the world - clearly, with self understanding. Feminism also is also about studying our own lens.
Ashlyn:
Taken from bell hooks, because this is the most eloquent definition of feminism I have yet to find: "Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression." This definition is powerful because it is all-encompassing. Sure, feminism works to combat sexism, but today feminism works to bring light to all forms of oppression. Feminism looks at the intersecting aspects of people's identities and analyzes the connections between identity and lived experience.
I came into feminism with my introduction to college. Raised by a single mother and recognizing the differential treatment I received from society as I grew into a woman, feminism has always been there in my life, but the language has not. During my first year of college I conducted work-study in the Women's Resource Center on campus and took a women's history course. These experiences were all I needed to build my feminist foundations. Works by Jessica Valenti were also important in shaping my feminist consciousness.
Today, feminism is a major part of my identity. I have helped to organize a SlutWalk, which is a demonstration to "reclaim" the word "slut." I put the word reclaim in quotations because, though I have found it empowering to say that I am a slut (because I feel free to have sex with who I want, when I want, and I could care less what you think), it is a word that can and does hurt people. The word is too often thrown around to describe women (over men), to shame women for their sexualities, and is used to blame victims of rape and sexual assault for the abuse perpetrated by men. So much focus on SlutWalk here, but I bring feminism into my every day life by discussing these issues with people in person and on social media platforms.
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