I, am a Feminist

Lelani Nagel
Jun 21, 2018
4 min read

Yes, the title does not lie. I. Am. A. Feminist. In it's original form. I will probably get some back lash for this but please just bare with me on this one as I go through what it means, and how people are changing something that is supposed to empower women into something that makes us all seem a little crazy.

Through out the years there has been a lot of different connections and definitions to what a Feminist is and what is expected of them and what they stand for. I, myself had this specific conversation with a wide variety of people most of them believing that being a feminist is wrong and that they try to prove how weak and wrong men are. I understand this way of looking at it because of they way people who call themselves feminists behave and treat other people who do not see eye to eye.

I have been told not to say that I am a feminist because of the negative connection. So that is why I decided to explain what it means according to the original term Feminism when it started back in 1837 by Charles Fourier, a Utopian socialist and French Philosopher.

Feminism became popular around the 19th century and early 20th century. This was when women had to fight for the right to vote, as well as for sexual, reproductive and economic rights. The first country to give women the right to vote was New Zealand in 1893 following through the years were various countries, with women only being allowed to vote in Saudi Arabia in 2015.

Feminists fought for equal rights since the 19th century. These equal rights has varied from the right to vote, legal equality, freedom to define own individual personality in society, equal rights in working environments, equal rights in the family, freedom to not be seen as second class in society, sexual harassment and violence against women.

According to the dictionary the term Feminist or Feminism is described as the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. In easier terms we as women just want to be seen as equal to men.

It is NOT women thinking that they deserve more than a man.

It is NOT women thinking that they are better than a man.

It is NOT women thinking that they should be treated differently because she is a woman.

It is NOT women hating men.

It is NOT women discriminating against men because he is not a woman.

It is NOT women thinking that she is superior to a man.

It is NOT women having a negative view of men.

It is NOT women mocking other things or women for being feminine or girly.

It is NOT women trying to get rid of gender roles.

It is NOT a stereotype.

It is NOT a sexual orientation.

It is NOT women trying to reinvent a gender.

It is NOT an excuse to complain all the time.

It is NOT and excuse to be disrespectful towards men.

Feminism is the right to vote, the right to speak my mind even when I am not being spoken to, the right to take action if I am being mistreated, the right to expect respect when I say no or when I do not give consent, the right of equality in the working environment.

Being a female obviously comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. And I do understand that women and men are anatomically different in terms of muscle building etc. But as a feminist, and the believe that all sexes should be treated equally, I believe that if a man can lift a log I can do it too, BUT then I should not expect to be measured differently because I am a women. Both of us should then be measured by an equal standard because that is well, equal. And in definition that is what Feminism stands for.

Being female sometimes mean that:

You get sexually harassed in most situations. Women saying yes to sexual harassment in the workplace is 27%.
Being stalked or looked at in a sexual manner when out and about led up to 55% of women saying yes.
1 in 3 women will experience sexual violence. 91% of sexual violence victims are female.
You are expected to dress and behave in a certain manner.
You are expected to raise children and stay at home.
You are blamed for being sexually assaulted because of the way you dress.
You are constantly bugged with discrimination from all sides.
You have to deal with society's expectations.
You have to have a certain body type.
You are not allowed to raise your voice otherwise you are being opinionated.
You are not allowed to say something about a situation otherwise you are being bossy.

That is why being a Feminist is not all that bad. We stand up and raise our voices against these minor situations that can make a big difference in a woman's life.

We do not want to be blamed for being sexually assaulted because of the way we dress or dance or walk just because we are women. We do not want to be victims of sexual harassment while out for a jog or printing articles at work.

Feminism in its original form stands for hope for women being suppressed by other people because of the fact that they are women. It is being a voice for those who cannot speak.

Zooye Deschanel said "It's not about women acting like men, it's about women acting like women and being successful"

And that in its truest form is Feminism.