FEMINISM is

Different for Different People:

Your feminism may be different from mine, but overall, it is the fight to break down walls of gender stereotypes and to obtain equal opportunities for all. Especially for women, because, you know, oppression.

NOT About Hatred:

Feminism is a lot of things, and it’s quite hard to define in a short-ish blog post, but it most certainly isn’t about hating men or thinking women are “better.” And it definitely isn’t about looking down upon women who choose to abide by more traditional women’s roles, either. It’s about giving women a choice. For so long, the female population has been subject to choose a life of “Bread-winning, Stay-at-Home Wife,” because “that’s what they’re supposed to do.” This movement is about saying, “Hey, it’s completely awesome if you want to be a stay-at-home mom, but you don’t have to be if you don’t want to.” You can be the boss-ass CEO of a large company. You can be a doctor, a lawyer, a USA Women’s Hockey player. You don’t have to be a mom; you can be the cool aunt at Thanksgiving who downs a bottle of wine to herself and brings life to the party. I’m not saying that you can’t be both a mother and a CEO, but I am saying that you don’t have to conform to conventional roles of womanhood. Or do. It’s your choice.

Defying Beauty Standards:

Everyone has gone through periods of disliking the skin they’re in. This is a topic that involves women, men, and transgender people, because we put so much pressure on one another to be attractive, especially in our Western society. Skinny. Muscular. Tall (but not too tall or muscular if you’re a girl). Athletic. Curvy (but, again, not too curvy). Clear skin. Eyebrows on fleek (da fuq?). Tan. Perfect. These beauty ideals have caused us to believe that perfection of the human body is even real! (I’m almost certain that it doesn’t exist). Men, women, and transgender people alike are judged for their appearances, rather than their intellect, humor, or kindness. Our obsession for the ideal body has led us to developing eating disorders, mental illnesses, and the extreme judgment of others by simply looking at them. Feminism spreads body positivity and self-love, for all people. I think it’s important for people to understand that we aren’t supposed to all look the same, otherwise we would’ve been born as clones. Just know that your stretch marks, acne, freckles, scars, birthmarks, fat, muscles, tattoos, small boobs, big boobs, big butts, small butts are differences, not flaws. Yes, you are beautiful, but you are also so much more.

For Men, Too:

While feminism mostly focuses on the inequalities of women, it’s also pretty concerned with the inequalities of men. Men have some barriers to break down too, such as being set on a pedestal to be “manly, stoic” men. According to society’s rules, men are supposed to be strong, aggressive, horny, and almost emotionless individuals - “Men don’t cry.” Men are “supposed” to be providers, and if you even think about being a stay-at-home dad, say bye-bye to your masculinity! Men, on average, don’t receive equal custody when fighting to keep their children, because women are supposed to be the caretakers. Men have higher rates of alcoholism and suicide, while women have higher rates of depression. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe men are depressed too, but they are told to shove that shit down and resort to substance abuse instead? Feminism is trying to end these stereotypes that men are “supposed” to live by. Believe it or not, people, men are just as emotional as women, they’re just told not to show it.

Closing the Wage Gap:

Women who work full time, on average, are earning $0.79 to the white man’s dollar, and that’s just white women. Women (and men) of color have it even worse. Asian women earn the third-highest amount, behind white women (couldn’t find wages in cents), Hawaiian/Pacific islander women earn $0.65, African American women earn $0.64, Native American women earn $0.59, and Hispanic women earn $0.54 (or %) to the white man’s dollar. I have heard the arguments of, “Well, men work harder jobs and longer hours” or “If women wanted to make more money, then they should receive an education to get a better job.” And I agree - to an extent. So, let’s elaborate. Yes, men do typically work more hard labor jobs, such as construction. And men also dominate the engineering world as well. But let’s look at it like this. Even at the highest of professions, let’s say, neurosurgeon, for example, women still earn less than men (yes, surgeons earn huge wages, so complaining about earning half a trillion dollars annually as opposed to one trillion dollars seems silly, but that’s irrelevant!). What I’m saying is, even women doctors, engineers, and lawyers, with the same amount of schooling as their male counterparts, earn less, simply because they’re women. Basically, women graduating with a bachelor’s degree with straight A’s will earn the equivalent salary to men who graduated with C’s (C’s get degrees, if you’re a dude). I don’t know about you, but that seems pretty sexist and irrational to me.

Ending Abuse Against Women in Third-World Countries:

If you think (or don’t think) women are treated unfairly here in the good ole’ US of A, you should see how poorly women are treated in certain parts of Africa and other third world countries. In certain countries, women are thought to be inferior to men, so they are given less educational and occupational opportunities. They are frequently beaten and raped. Young girls are sold into or forced to enter the sex industry, and that is all they will ever know. Female mutilation, the act of removing some or all of the external genitalia, is commonly practiced in some parts of Africa, and countries such as Somalia and Guinea have female circumcision prevalence rates of 90-99 percent. In India and the Middle East, it is common for women to have acid thrown on them from disputes with family members, etc., leaving them to wear their deformities for a lifetime. Feminism helps to bring awareness to these atrocities and to hopefully put an end to them one day.

Bringing Awareness to Sexuality and Putting an End to Rape Culture:

Understanding how to be a sexual being can be very difficult and confusing for women. We are told that we have to be sexy, yet not too sexy, otherwise you’re deemed as a “slut.” And if you choose not to have sex, then you’re a prude. Feminism is standing up and saying, “Ladies, take control of your sexuality. Don’t let others determine your sex life, because it is your business and yours alone. Do what you want.”

Like I said earlier, we teach boys to be aggressive, sex-obsessed beings. And these notions lead to sexual abuse. Rape is about power, control, not pleasure. It is about dominating someone. That’s why I believe it to be ridiculous that women are accused of being “guilty for allowing themselves to be raped.” “She deserved it, look at what she was wearing.” “She was asking for it.” No, I can guarantee that she wasn’t. We sexualize women ALL THE TIME in media (barely ever wearing clothes, sexual innuendos in commercials, etc.), yet when a woman is raped, it’s her fault. Is this ever said of boys who are taken advantage of sexually? Were their clothes provoking? Were they asking for it? (I’ll give you a hint, NOPE). Instead of shaming sexually abused women (and men) and teaching girls “not to get raped,” let’s teach people NOT TO RAPE. Period.

Ending Negativity:

You throw like a girl. You run like a girl. You talk like a girl. Quit acting like a girl. We hear it all the time, being a girl is bad. Why? Do you think girls are weak? Do you think they are less intelligent? These are stereotypes that are attached to an entire gender, and they stem from a long history of supposed inferiority. Feminism is here to say girls are strong. They are independent. They are brilliant. They are creative. They are kind. They are badasses (and they’re tired of your shit). And they are capable of everything and anything. Just like boys. (And you’re damn straight I throw like a girl.)

I want to be a successful career woman, and a mom. I am not a “man-hater,” whatsoever. I believe in the strength of women. I am a Feminist. Sage Sukut hails from Glasgow and is currently a student at Montana State University. You can read more of her work at sagesukut.wix.com/sloaak.