Why feminism still matters

Quite a few of my fellow blog stalkers have probably already come across the recent Cjane post on feminism.  I tried and tried to come up with a rational, polite response, but couldn't come up with anything other than my head exploding a little. I'm not a total fluff blogger, but I do avoid showcasing my brain matter splashed all over the screen as a general rule.

I really, truly believe that most people who are not misogynists are on some level feminists in the broadest, most foundational sense of the term. And I definitely know that feminism still has an important role to fill in our world.

I'm not going to go into all the things feminism has done in the past (voting, property rights, etc). For today, I'm just looking at why feminism still has something to offer. (I'm trying to make this as concise as I can. This is by no means a comprehensive list or exploration.)

On its most basic level, feminism is the radical belief that women are people. In our world, they aren't. Men are people and women are women. Men=default, women=aberration. It's a bit of a trivial example, but there is a reason why a book or movie about a boy is just a piece of media for general consumption, but the same piece about a woman is suddenly just a chick thing. There is a reason why when picturing a lawyer or a doctor, supposedly gender neutral occupations, most people think of a man.

Some things aren't that trivial. Part of seeing women as people has to do with not seeing them as objects. Objects don't have to be treated with the respect and decency of people. Probably one of the most dehumanizing acts is raping or abusing another person. Officially our culture decries these acts, but unofficially our culture supports these acts by turning a blind eye, placing the blame or responsibility on women. In lesser ways, the way we treat women as purely sexual bodies from pornography on one hand to slut shaming immodesty on the other, also reduces people to objects. Feminism fights for women to be seen as people, not objectified and subjected to violence.

Feminism is needed so that traditional femininity and motherhood can be valued. Part of valuing women fully is valuing all the things that we associate with women. In all honesty, this is one of the ways early feminists really screwed up. They were part of a world that devalued the feminine, and in trying to raise women up they made the mistake of trying to open the doors to higher valued masculine avenues without simultaneously elevating the feminine. Taking care of another human being is an amazing thing. So is keeping a household running. So is almost everything that is associated with women, and devalued for that association. In a feminist world traditionally feminine fields like nursing and teaching would be paid fairly. Parenthood would be supported and championed by employers, society and people. Feminism values femininity, and points towards a world where it is valued and supported.

Men need feminism. Just as women are people, so are men. Shaming men into an arbitrary box of masculinity denies them the ability to be full people. Men should be able to take care of children or dance or express emotions or whatever, supposedly masculine, feminine or whatever. By knocking down arbitrary walls, feminism frees men from a stereotype of masculinity.

Marriages and families need feminism. I firmly believe that for a marriage to succeed, it needs to be a respectful, loving, supportive union between two partners who value each other as equal. By valuing the full person hood of men and women, feminism supports good families.

We all need women to be a valued part of the world. I don't necessarily believe that women and men are essentially different, but in today's world women live a very different experience than men, and the perspective they can bring to the table from that experience is valuable. When feminism brings women to the table, we all benefit.

And all this is just in America. The way women continue to be dehumanized to the extreme and worse in other parts of the world is beyond what I'm equipped to talk about here. Feminism hopefully has a large role to play in their futures.

I have a little 5 year old sister and I love her like crazy. She is the most amazing person to watch play, she will seamlessly alternate from tenderly rocking her doll to having the doll fend off a vicious attack from a three headed dragon. She does things just because she wants to, not because of who she was told to be. Right now, she is free to be a full person. I don't want her to ever be told that her dolls and pink dresses are stupid and girly. I don't ever want her to be told that she shouldn't play with action figures because those are only for boys. I don't want her to ever be afraid for her safety because she is a woman. I want her to always be as free to be her own person as she is today, and to be valued for that. In today's world, she won't be.

I believe in my sister and her humanity, and I believe in mine. That is why we need feminism.

 

(Faith at wedding, about 1.5 years ago)