Feminism - A Subtweet to Anti- Feminists

I have a sticker on my computer that says “I’m here to crush the patriarchy.” To this day, there has only been two reactions to it: “do you hate men?” and “what is the patriarchy?”

In my opinion, I don’t know which question is worse. The fact that people believe feminism is ‘anti-man’ and constituent of the hatred of a gender is absurd to me, yet being oblivious to the looming structure of oppression and subjugation upon women shocks me as well.

A women is anyone who identifies as such. The traditional ‘one gendered,’ ‘uterus,’ ‘childbearing’ definition is not longer valid. Gender, sexuality, identity: all have changed and mean so much more than they once did. What’s most damning about calling someone a ‘feminist’ is how one sided it can essentially mean. Things like the Women’s March as well as International Women’s Day have been both praised and criticized, but before people can even praise these notions, they need to understand the underlying aspect of what/ who is even being represented.

The tainting of feminism has been brought upon by ‘celebrity feminists’ or just the unequal representation of women in general. Much of the association of feminism/feminists is grotesque: asking someone if they are a feminist or feminazi? Since when did standing up for rights become associated with genocide? Constantly, both men and women believe that feminism is a negative term.

I am a feminist and it took me too long to realize that this F word can’t and shouldn’t be associated with negativity. Feminism means humanity to me. It means freedom and empowerment- two words that mean more to me than anything else. Of course now, especially now, the idea and meaning of feminism has been tainted. With white feminism aiming solely at cisgendered, privileged, white females, intersectionality has hit a wall.

There’s still a lot more work to be done.The social construct of feminists being stubborn and bitchy needs to be dismantled. The idea that feminists are inherently only female needs to be dismantled. And ultimately, the stigma that feminism is only for straight, privileged women needs to be dismantled.

So now we’re here, at the crossroads of feminism. What now? It’s time to act.