OCTOBER 2014
44
According to the CIA Fact Book of 2014, for every 101 males, there are 100 females. These numbers are only one digit apart, but the societal values of the genders are still at polar opposites. Let’s face it, women and men are not equal. Apart from differing societal values due to physical abilities, women are viewed as less useful and less able as workers, as thinkers, as professors because of their supposed role as “domestic entrepreneurs”. As a result, many groups and organizations have rose to fight for gender equality, one of which is the United Nations with its 2014 He for She campaign.
“Gender equality is not only a women’s issue, it is a human rights issue that requires men’s participation.” Printed boldly in pink on its official website, the United Nations’ He for She movement is a campaign geared to promote male awareness of gender imbalance. By agreeing with this statement on the website and educating others, men around the world have proved this campaign not only a meaningful endeavor, but more importantly a realistic movement. Despite many people accusing this campaign as another expression of “feminist rage”, the official website has received 185,063 statements as of October. Popularized by the involvement of its ambassador Emma Watson and many celebrity supporters such as Harry Styles on Twitter and Facebook, this seemingly romantic idea of gender equality is no longer a dream but rather an attainable goal. Seeing powerful statements and quotes about the He for She movement trending on social media, it is only natural for us to wonder how we are related to this real-world issue.
The answer is we are related in every way.
As high school seniors across the nation feel more and more stressed with the approaching college application deadlines this time of year, it is difficult not to sense the pressing burden of the real world. As many of us may already be far from the familiarity of home and ready to embark on new journeys at college and beyond, we gradually realize that the freedom we have dreamed of since we were little are no longer vacant thoughts but rather our near futures. Similarly, it is only when we realize that gender equality is no longer a dream but a pressing issue demanding real action can there be significant progress.
The term “feminist rage” has been going around campus and has often been met with rolling eyes and looks of annoyance. It seems to feel like people are becoming afraid of the word “feminism”. In her impassioned speech to the United Nations, UN Women Ambassador Emma Watson stated that “‘Feminism’ has become an unpopular word” whose supporters “are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and, unattractive”. However, feminism is not something to be ashamed of. One of the major misconceptions is that feminists desire the dominance of females over males, but that is simply not true. Instead, equality, as Emma stated, is the ultimate goal. As a result, youth advocacy for feminism should not be branded as a “rage” and associated negatively with obsession and irrationality. Feminism should instead be regarded as an idea that demands our attention as the new generation and be met with active and realistic actions such as signing on the He for She movement.
Learning is progress and action is change. The He for She movement is not only an all-inclusive effort for equality worthy of our attention, but also a reminder of the power of the individual. Through taking specific action from signing the He for She statement to organizing seminars, we can break the wall of prejudice against the “feminist rage”.
"HE
FOR
SHE"
by Cheryl Wang