10 reasons to be a feminist
10 reasons to be a feminist
By Namira Hossain
Even 300 years after the Women’s Suffrage movement, the word “feminist” is a loaded term bandied about to insult anyone who believes the radical notion that women are people. It has
become a damaging stereotype depicted in mainstream media that a typical feminist is an angry woman who hates men and refuses to shave her legs. However, the word “feminist” doesn’t have to be a mutually exclusive term to describe a certain “type” of woman or man, it can be inclusive of anybody who believes that women or men should not be discriminated against on the basis of their gender. So without waffling any further, let’s look at 10 reasons why we should all be feminists.
1. Because we are human – Women do not just exist as people’s mother’s, sister’s and wives but as actual people in their own right with their own identities and should be allowed to live in a world which isn’t barricaded by gender constructs that tell us how we should live our lives.
2. Because all the fairy-tales depict women as helpless princesses who need rescuing – Throughout our lives we learn that we need a man to rescue us and validate us and that as soon as we find a man who loves us (for our beauty) all our needs will immediately fulfilled.
3. Because menstrual shaming still exists – Last year, well-known poet and feminist Rupi Kaur caused an outrage on social media after she posted a picture of herself lying on a stained bed on the popular social network Instagram and they deleted the picture. It’s a pertinent question that pictures of half naked female bodies are shared freely on Instagram , but it deems an expression of a woman menstruating as too vulgar. All over the world, in rural areas menstruating women are considered unholy and untouchable and often because they cannot speak to anybody about the topic, are compelled to use rags and keep them hidden when drying which can cause serious infections.
4. Because of the high global prevalence of domestic abuse – In cases of domestic abuse, the first question out of everybody’s mouth is usually “why did she stay” rather than “why did he abuse”. 1 in 3 women worldwide are subjected to some form of physical violence from their partners in their lifetime and a huge reason for this is the encouragement of men from a young age to be aggressive and for women to be submissive.
5. Because of lack of equal opportunity – Women are discriminated against in their workplaces, often getting paid less than their male counterparts for doing the same amount of work with the same level of education. They also get discriminated against for either having children or wanting children in the future. The glass ceiling still exists for them as the women are typically paid 90% of a man’s salary until the age of 35, after which there is a dip down to 75%.
6. Because approximately 3 million girls are victims of female genital mutilations every year – FGM has no benefits and causes great harm as normal healthy female genital tissue is
removed causing complications such as severe pain, infections, urinary problems and in some extreme cases even death. It is carried out in countries in Africa, the Middle East and in some cases even in Asia and more than 200 million women alive today are affected by this. One of the reasons it is carried out is to make sex more painful for the women thereby ensuring their virginity taking away any autonomy these women can have over their own bodies.
7. Because the world is obsessed with how women look – Whether you are browsing through a magazine or reading articles on the internet, it is highly common to see clickbait articles in suggested links such as “Shocking pictures of celebrities without make up.” Photoshopped images of women in beauty magazines lead to highly unrealistic expectations of beauty and can cause issues that stem from low self-esteem such as eating disorders and other mental health issues. We need to strive for a more inclusive stance for women in the media so that women of all shapes, sizes and colours and represented and can help us be more accepting of ourselves, flaws and all.
8. Because women do not have a right to their own bodies – As pro-life protestors make scenes outside abortion clinics in the U.S, we forget that abortion is still illegal in areas of the world where 26% of the world’s population resides. This means that women are subjected to illegal procedures in non regulated institutions where they put themselves in danger of infections etc. Whether or not they choose to harbor life for 9 months should be their own decision rather than that of the state’s and we need feminists to fight for this right of women over their own bodies.
9. Because rape culture still exists all over the world – Often victims of rape are afraid to come forward because judgments are made on their character, clothing and habits while the whole fact that they were sexually assaulted and their boundaries invaded upon are completely ignored. Women are treated as fodder for men’s imagination upon “revealing” parts of their bodies such as their hair or leg, whereas men are not held accountable for their own actions. We need feminism so both men and women understand that when it comes to rape, the perpetrator has to be held responsible for his actions and that blame cannot and should not be shifted onto the victim.
10. Because patriarchal attitudes provide a narrative that is also damaging for men – How often do you hear parents say things to their children like “boys don’t cry” if they display any sensitivity or that “boys will be boys” when they display aggression? In essence, by repeating these ancient adages, we are merely reaffirming to our children that they should not feel comfortable with their emotions and that men have to act in a certain manner (ie. aggressive) in order to establish their masculinity otherwise they cannot be accepted as males.
