Country singer and millennial Taylor Swift recently told the Daily Beast she doesn't consider herself a feminist, explaining to the interviewer who posed the question: "I don't really think about things as guys versus girls." But many feminists would argue that Swift, 22, is missing the point, that feminism isn't a battle between the sexes.
I can't say I blame Swift if she hasn't quite pinned down the definition of the word. I do identify as a feminist -- after all, I trust in my abilities, combat stereotypes and believe in equal rights. But I've also been unsure at times what exactly it means to be a feminist and whether the modern movement is the best vehicle for gender equality.
Women have been divided over feminism, its definition and practice, since the first suffragettes demanded space in politics. Even today, asking a roomful of millennial women, roughly those 18-29, whether they identify as feminist will elicit a range of responses: yes, no and someplace in between.
"If you went up to a millennial and asked if they believe in equal rights for all, they would look at you like you're crazy, because that's a silly question," said Lauren Rikleen, executive-in-residence at Boston College. "But if you ask if they're feminist, there's this backing away and an emotional reaction."
That reaction is at odds with the attitudes of women who came of age in the '70s, '80s and even '90s, said Dr. Paola Bacchetta, an associate professor of gender and women's studies at University of California at Berkeley.
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After the first wave of women's rights activists campaigned for the vote and the second wave fought for reproductive rights and parity in the workplace, it seemed a given that many progressive young women had no qualms calling themselves feminists, even if they didn't participate in the movement. But progress has given some young women grounds to dismiss feminism's necessity, Bacchetta said: "We have a long way to go, and the idea that things are OK, that people aren't thinking about it because they feel like their lives are OK, is also a part of the problem."
After an election season that spurred debate over women's rights so heated that some said a war was being waged on women (a fight that may have given President Barack Obama and other Democrats a bump in the polls) it bears exploring what feminism means to millennial women.
Where are all the millennial feminists? - CNN.com
I agree very much with this article. Believe it or not, I'm not sure if I should call myself a feminist. Sure, I believe in reproductive rights, equal pay, and women being treated with respect. But as this article points out, there are so many ways to define feminism that it can be very confusing. Some groups make slam women who choose to be stay-at-home moms, others want to ban pornography and strip clubs forever (note: I'm not too crazy about both but they are complex issues). Heck, some feminists say women should be domineering towards their male partners and reject any type of chivalry, even if a guy holds a door open for you on a date. If you don't agree with certain forms of feminism, you are not a real feminist then.
But then again, there are still many misogynists out there and not enough justice for rape victims. If some men hear the term "feminist" they think, "oh she's a lesbian who hates men" - and that can be a man of any age. There's even some women who despise feminists (Phyllis Schlafly, anyone?)Hence the reason why feminism is a term to be proud of because it tells those woman-haters to go to hell.
I don't think feminism has run its course because there is still work to be done, but it has gone in so many different directions that it is hard to pin point what is real feminism. So that's my attitude towards the term.
Thoughts?