Feminism and me.

Feminist. A word that over the last three years or so seems to have been flung around here, there and everywhere more often than ever before. From being a fashion statement to an attempted "insult", we have definitely been made more aware of feminism. However, the definition has been completely misconstrued, warped and twisted beyond recognition, with the term being surrounded by such negative connotations that many people are actually happy to deem themselves not a feminist, and unwilling to support feminism!

By definition, feminism is "the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes". According to the recorded clip in Beyonce's 'Flawless', a feminist is "the person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes".

In other words, being a feminist, and feminism itself, is purely about equality between the sexes on all levels.

It is not about women being better than men. It is not about women trying to rule the world and take over men's lives. It is not about hating men. Let me just reiterate that one, as it is the mistake made most commonly; it is not about hating men.

Anybody can be a feminist, and, in my opinion, everybody should be. It is not something to be laughed at, mocked, or ashamed of, and both men and women can be feminists. What's wrong with believing that men and women should be treated equally in every aspect of their life? Nothing...that is, until it is given the label "feminism".

A commonly made mistake is that when a woman deems herself to be a feminist, she is a man hater, against cooking and cleaning, a whore, frigid (yeah, work those two out!) and many more abusive and derogatory things. If a man deems himself a feminist, he is perceived simply to be "gay".

Last year, we saw a huge rise in the support for feminism with the #HeForShe campaign, for which Emma Watson was the main ambassador. This campaign was excellent and really highlighted the importance of feminism. Whilst it did unfortunately focus more on how feminism helps females rather than males (because yes, it does help both!), it also got many more males involved with the feminist movement and showing their support for feminism. This included a lot of males holding up paper with the hashtag #HeForShe and often an endearing quote about the women in their lives, or with the phrase "This is what a feminist looks like", and included some mega stars such as Simon Pegg and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Feminism really is for everyone. It doesn't just help women, but men too (think paternity leave, proving that not all men have animalistic sexual instincts, and helping males to break away from those reinforced, macho stereotypes). It's not about hating men, it's about helping men...and helping women too. It is about obtaining equality. Equality is the ultimate aim, and is an aim that can benefit everybody. No one gender is better than the other- every single person deserves to be treated as an equal. 

Taking all of this into consideration, it is important to reflect upon what being a feminist means to me, and I reached the following conclusion.

On top of the obvious factor that I treat men and women, transgender, cisgender, all genders equally, being a feminist means that I can do what I want and be respected for it by everybody else. If I would like to adhere to gender stereotypes and be a stay at home mum, cooking and cleaning all day, then I can be. If I want to be the main breadwinner whilst my other half stays at home doing the housework, I can be, with neither me or my other half being judged. If I want to go out in hot pants and a vest top, I can do, without males trying to harass me and females shaming me. It means I can be comfortable in my own skin, no matter what shape and size I am. It means I have the freedom of speech, and that my words and actions are controlled by no one- male or female. 

Whilst right now, not all of these are true for me (my outfits are often judged and I am often put down by males when I go off on a "feminist rant"), I would like them to be- for a person such as myself, in my position, that is what feminism would mean for me. However, it is a very fluid concept dependent on different cultures and religions- but as long as equality is at the core of the meaning, how you shape feminism to your life is entirely up to you. 

I think reflecting upon how you want to lead your life, now and in the future, can help you to decide upon whether or not you're a feminist- and if you're not one, why you should be. If you really can think of no reason why deeming yourself a feminist would benefit you, then remember that feminism is far bigger than just you. Think of all the hundreds of thousands of people world wide who do not have the choice to be a feminist, who do not have the choice to be treated equally by the opposite gender. Be a feminist and contribute towards the feminist movement to help them. 

And remember this, above all else- the rise of women does not mean the fall of men. 

Love from, 

Florence Grace

This post is based strongly upon my own views and opinions. I am not trying to force anybody into feminism, I'm merely explaining why I personally believe everybody should be. If you are offended by this content, please refrain from sending me abuse and email me at florencegrace13@gmail.com. Thank you!