Misunderstanding the movement

 
[su_heading]I wasn’t sure why some people felt uncomfortable or hesitant to call themselves feminists.[/su_heading]
On the first day of a York sociology class called Caribbean Feminism, Professor Kamala Kempadoo asked, “How many of you consider yourself a feminist?”
As I walked over to join those who did consider themselves feminists, I was quite surprised to see the majority of students had associated themselves with the non-feminist group.
When asked why, some students said they didn’t believe they were feminists because they were never involved in any activist movements. Others pointed out that feminists are often perceived as male-bashers. I’m not unaware of such perceptions, and they’re pretty widely known.
[su_pullquote]Personally, I have always identified as a feminist, but it was my first women’s studies course at York that taught me the meaning, significance, and history offeminism as a theory and a practice. I became more conscious about my beliefs, perceptions, and actions.[/su_pullquote]
There have been a few times when I’ve been asked if I hate men, while facing ridicule for choosing gender, feminism and women’s studies as a graduate program. I wasn’t sure why some people felt uncomfortable or hesitant to call themselves
feminists.
Personally, I have always identified as a feminist, but it was my first women’s studies course at York that taught me the meaning, significance, and history offeminism as a theory and a practice. I became more conscious about my beliefs, perceptions,
and actions.
The initial thoughts that come to mind when I think of feminism are equality and a way of responding to gender and
sexual discrimination.
Whether one promotes a cause by blogging online, volunteering at an organization, signing petitions to help create change, standing up against discrimination, engaging in activist movements, or simply refusing to engage in sexist discourse, there is neither a strict definition of feminism nor a specific way to be a feminist.
I am certain that at some point in our lives many of us have asked ourselves these questions.
Why do men have to be considered the “opposite” of women? What makes the colour pink feminine and the colour blue masculine? Why is a woman’s virginity still treated as a valuable commodity for men? Why are women paid less than men for the exact same work? The list goes on.
For most of those questions, quite often, the answer has been, “It’s just the way it is.” I beg to differ, all thanks to the teachings of feminist theory.
Feminism is everything from responding to sexism to generating social/economic/political change and equality for groups who face marginalization, oppression, and exclusion. These things should objectively be seen as progress in the right direction.
So I can’t fathom why, even after years of bold and in-your-face activism, feminism would still be viewed so negatively, especially by young people in university.
Sheila Cavanagh, an associate professor in sociology and the sexuality studies coordinator at York, has a theory: “There is a negative connotation when [feminism] focuses exclusively on the rights and entitlements of white, able-bodied, heterosexual, and non-trans women,” she says.
Cavanagh points out that queer feminism embraces a trans-positive approach, which represents the intersection of race, class, sexuality, gender, and disability.
As a form of feminism which bloomed in the 21st century, queer feminism centralizes patriarchal oppression and non-binary genders and sexualities.
“Anti-racist feminism,” Cavanagh adds, “also addresses the central importance of race, culture, religion, citizenship-status, and migration to theory and activism.”
Cavanagh says feminism “is not just about women, but about gender and the way our culture values hegemonic and non-trans masculinities over feminine and gender-variant ways of being in the world.”
Marc Stein, a gender, sexuality and women’s studies professor at York and author of Rethinking the Gay and Lesbian Movement, questions students’ rejection to all forms of feminism despite supporting feminist principles.
Stein says this could be because the public’s perceptions of feminism have been successfully influenced by anti-feminist conservatives, and because feminism has failed to support freedom, liberation, equality, and justice of all people.
[su_pullquote align=”right”]Why do men have to be considered the “opposite” of women? What makes the colour pink feminine and the colour blue masculine?[/su_pullquote]
“As a movement situated principally on the left,” he adds, “feminism has been caught up in a larger and longer-term process whereby politics have shifted right over the last several decades.”
For something that has been criticized and perceived as pointless or ineffective, there has been a lot of media attention, actions, and groups (i.e. anti-feminist conservatives) organized for retaliation against feminism.
In reference to Stein’s first point, anti-feminism is defined as an opposition to some or all forms of feminism which specifically focuses on the prevention of gender equality and/or improvement of women’s status and position in society.
Anti-feminists have justified their actions and arguments against feminism through religious and cultural norms by saying gender division is natural and inescapable.
Some believe feminists are loud, bra-burning women who hate men. It is also often believed that men and women are already equal in society, which makes any further advocacy pointless. Such perception disregards existing and on-going gender issues in contemporary society.
Because the word “feminist/feminism” includes the root, “fem,” it gives off the impression of a movement that is exclusive to women only. This raises questions about what femininity, masculinity, and/or queer mean to us, and how they shape different forms of feminism.
Feminism has been considered a loaded word that restricts many or generates a sense of superiority over men and has been perceived as a threat.
Nonetheless, any valid reasons and criticisms that apply to some/all forms of feminism should be addressed, rather than seen as permanent flaws used to dismiss feminism entirely.
Feminism taught me how to freely express my emotions, sexuality, gender, and individuality. It encouraged me to motivate others to break free from abusive relations, fight double standards, stand up for themselves, speak their mind and realize that we are powerful individuals. Feminism inspired me to be a better me.
There is nothing uncool or negative about being a feminist. But something the movement really needs is inclusion and initiative shown by men.
All people are equally essential to what feminism is and what it offers. For now, I hope we can dig deeper to understand the relevance of feminism in our daily lives, and fight against existing negative connotations.
Sreya Banerjea
Contributor