COLUMN: Don’t be afraid of the F-word

Since the beginning of my undergraduate career, I have noticed a very interesting pattern during class discussions about feminism. Almost everyone’s beliefs align very closely with the ideas of equality espoused by the philosophy, but nobody likes to use the word.

This is because the average person associates feminism with either the hardcore conservative wing of the movement made up of the scary, militant individuals with dystopian notions of how society should be constructed, or complicated ideas full of big words that people either don’t understand or don’t care to have preached at them.

How this happened I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t find it very surprising. Based on some of the columns I’ve seen published in The Volante regarding the topic, I can easily understand why people would not want to associate themselves with the term.

Most people are just not interested in being lectured on the obvious problems with inequality still present in our society, either because they are already aware of them, or because they find it condescending.

We know that there are many unfair stereotypes present in the media. We know there needs to be more strong independent female characters for young women to look up to. We know there is still a huge problem with inequality in the workforce.

We know that men still have a tight grasp on society, but we also know that as more of us graduate and find our way in the world, that will change. We are also ready to rip apart anyone who says we are not capable of doing anything but baking cookies and popping out babies.

We know that high heels and dresses are just another aspect of oppressive beauty standards created by a patriarchal society which insists on reinforcing outdated gender roles. Do we care? Not really. Some of us feel more confident in such attire and find pants to be a far more oppressive fashion choice.

Any female pursuing a degree in higher education or a place in the workforce of any kind is a feminist, as are those who make the choice to stay at home and have a family instead. Nobody wants to be told they are a “bad woman” for pursuing either option.

Any man who is okay with attending school or working with women is a feminist. Anyone who believes people should be paid based on the quality of their work alone is a feminist.

Feminism is about giving everyone the same options and letting them choose which path to take.
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It’s a philosophy open to everyone, and nobody should ever be ashamed to admit they believe in it. Nobody is going to automatically assume you think all men are evil or that sperm banks are a better alternative to sex if you say, “I am a feminist.”

So do not fear the word, fellow students of mine. If someone questions you for making this not-so-radical claim, sit them down and help them understand. And please, don’t be preachy about it. Doing so will only make the problem worse.

Reach columnist Betsey Horton at [email protected].