Feminism--Jordan

 

Over a century ago, women were fighting for other women because they were working toward the

same goals as each other, equal rights. Today, women are fighting with other women because we all have

different aspirations in life. There has become an extremely distorted view of feminism in present day and so

many women don’t believe themselves to be feminists because of this distortion. There are a multitude of

people in society who believe that women need to be independent leaders and fearless fighters to embody the

role of a strong, successful woman. I love that women are able to demonstrate these characteristics and receive

praise for them, but it is also extremely important to note that women don’t need to fit this criteria in order to

be a strong, successful woman. Disney princesses and stay-at-home moms face unwarranted backlash in the

media because they don’t fit the mold or appear to have the same dreams as female soldiers and powerful

business women. Even from conversations I’ve had as a student counselor, there are girls who feel like they

aren’t doing enough with their lives because what they want for themselves isn’t to become a CEO but to just

start a family.

Feminism is not only about women becoming leaders and trying to be the most powerful in the room.

Feminism is about uplifiting women no matter their path in life. Feminism is about equality to men, not power

over them. According to a recent survey consisting of almost 4,000 women, 39% of women in the United

States do not consider themselves to be feminists. Many women believe that feminism is a bad thing to want

and believe in. They believe that being a feminist means that we want more than men, when all we want is the

same. Especially in the United States, women have laws regarding their body, making us feel like we are less

than. In a way, in this country, we are. That is what feminism is trying to fight. We do not want men controlling

our bodies, or our pay, or our field of work. We do not want to be criticized for not wanting to take on the

world or become president. We want to be accepted in a field dominated by men. We want to get paid the same

for doing just the same as a man. We want to feel safe and loved no matter what journey we decide to take with

our lives.

Over a century ago, women fought for our right to vote. Through their fight, they were actively giving

future women voices and the power to do so much more. To this day, women are still trying to fight against the

system. Fighting to keep laws off of our bodies, fighting to be treated as an equal, fighting for our own dreams

and desires, and fighting to just be women. That is what feminism is. Feminism is about loving women, caring

about women’s rights, and accepting women for who they are.