I've Never Burned a Bra

I was playing a game of Apples-to-Apples recently when I was reminded of something.  If you're familiar with the game, you know that one player (the judge) places down a card with an adjective on it, and the other players all pick a noun card that they feel pairs with that adjective.  Then, the judge picks which noun card they feel best fits the adjective and whomever placed that card is the winner of that round.  I was the judge and the adjective was a negative one, either annoying or useless, I can't remember. Everyone placed their cards and as I read them, I came across the word feminist.  Initially, I assumed that my boyfriend had played the card just to get a rise out of me.  However, as it was, another woman who was playing had placed the card.  The men playing laughed and thought that the card was hilarious, but one thought out loud, "You're a woman, why would you play that car?  Especially when another woman is judging."

I didn't really think anything of it at the time, but later thought about how I sometimes forget that not all women classify themselves as feminists.  I myself never used to feel comfortable classifying myself as a feminist.  After all, I wasn't a bra burning, man hater.  I didn't protest shaving my legs because it was a socially constructed norm.  I still thought Barbie dolls were awesome, the mall was a sanctuary, and I wanted to find myself the perfect man to marry and have a nice, nuclear family with.  You see the problem with the feminist movement is that it has a very hard time shaking the stereotypes that are associated with it.  All of those things are still true about me, but I'm still a feminist.

What people don't realize is that feminism is not so extreme.  The core values of a feminist are to advance the status of women in society, whether that be economically, politically, or socially.  Feminism is about equal rights and status between the genders. Feminists not only advocate for the rights of women, but also men. And, men can even be feminists.

So, if you agree with even one of these statements, you hold a feminist belief:

Women should receive equal pay for equal work.

Sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape and domestic violence are unacceptable, no matter who the victim.

Women should have the right to vote.

Women should be equally represented in politics.

Human trafficking is a social injustice.

Women should be given reproductive freedom.

Boys and girls should be given equal educational opportunities.

Even if you disagree with one of these statements, you still hold feminists beliefs and therefore, may in fact be a feminist.