After speaking passionately about women's issues during class, I inevitably got the same question from a classmate. "Are you like, a feminist, or something?"
I replied that yes, I am a feminist. A feminist is someone who believes in equality between the gender and sexes. Aren't they a feminist, too? Did my classmate have an issue with gender equality?
There was never a variation in my classmate's dubious pause before consulting Google to find the "real" definition of feminism. And I never felt better than when they admitted that, they too, might be feminists.
These encounters, as well as other misconceptions of feminism in the media, inspired me to create The Defining Feminism Project. Powered by Tumblr, the Project features pictures of people with their answer to the question "What do you think feminism is?". The results so far have varied, but one particularly common answer stood out to me:
"I think feminism is girls being strong/girl power"
This answer was probably the most common. Iconic images such as Rosie the Riveter portray feminism to mean strength, a traditionally masculine trait. Should women be just as strong and powerful as men? Of course! But does feminism mean that all women should become CEOs, engineers, and politicians? Not necessarily. Feminism is about being able to do anything without gender discrimination. Women encounter most gender-based discrimination in predominantly male fields, or traditionally masculine roles. For example, women will make up just 19% of Congress starting in January. Just 13% of engineers are female. So, empowering girls and encouraging them to defy gender norms is definitely a feminist ideal. But it should also totally okay to be a stay-at-home-mom or fashion designer, if it's fulfilling for that person!
JULY 2014
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