By Leanna Pankratz and Sasha Moedt (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 28, 2012
Having difficulties forging through the terms and history of feminism? No worries! Sasha and leanna tackle the ins-and-outs of what, exactly, feminism is, was and ought to be.
Leanna: As Emmaline Pankhurst, twentieth century womens’ rights activist, said in one of her many famous speeches, “Men make the moral code and they expect women to accept it … They have decided that it is entirely right and proper for men to fight for their liberties and their rights, but that it is not right and proper for women to fight for theirs.”
This quote sums up the original intent of feminism: the movement from a patriarchal, male-dominated society to one that offers equal rights between genders, beginning with allowing women the right to vote.
Those days are, frankly, over.
There once was a time where women chained themselves to city gates in search of the right to sign a ballot, which transitioned to a time where women spurned the idea of the domestic kitchen goddess in heels and petitioned for a more prominent role in society. Now, we have third-wave feminists (armed, dangerous, ready to eat men up emotionally, sexually and physically) turning what was once a noble fight into something more along the lines of sexism.
Sasha: You can certainly call the first two waves of feminism a noble fight. The first wave got women a vote, rights to custody and guardianship of their own children, and the right to go to university. They changed rape laws so that the victim wasn’t the father of the woman raped, but the woman herself – so that that the woman could actually lay charges.
The second wave tackled gender equality in the workforce, violence against women, and sexist images and ideas in education and the media. They fought for access to maternal care, contraceptives, and abortion.
bell hooks, a well-known third-wave feminist, says this: “Simply put, feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.”
By calling the movement sexist, you render it irrelevant. But what makes the third wave irrelevant? I can’t think of any way, to be honest.
Look at what’s happening in the States, with the Republican battle to control women’s choices about abortion. State rep. Alan Dick said, “If I thought that the man’s signature was required … in order for a woman to have an abortion, I’d have a little more peace about it.” This turns a debate about whether abortion is right or wrong into a debate about whether a woman should (or could) decide that for herself. As a feminist looking at the abortion issue, I am not looking at whether abortion is right or wrong: I’m looking at whether the woman has the right to make her own choice about her body. And that basic human right is being stripped away.
It’s true that women have much more in society than we used to. But we are still not treated as equals. It is common knowledge than we are paid less than men; Statistics Canada shows that, in 2005, women were paid 85 cents for every dollar paid to men. This is inequality. Why is it that men are paid more? Because men are considered superior. This is a mindset we must change.
The third wave is different than the first and second wave in that it encompasses more than middle class white women in North America. We are fighting oppression: of class, race and gender. We include men. We include aboriginal women. We include the poor, working class.
It’s easy to describe feminism as a battle. It was most certainly a fight. But being armed implies we are fighting someone else: men, maybe. But third-wave feminists are fighting to end oppression, not men. We don’t want to eat men up emotionally; we love men, we marry them, we have relationships with them. In many cases, we are men. We are fighting the oppression that eats men up emotionally. Men must deal with issues that oppress us: they too are forced into the traps sexism sets.
Leanna: The stereotypes given to feminists these days are unfortunate – those of a man-hating woman bent on solidifying her position as “superior” in society. While women, contrary to popular belief, still have a long way to go before we are fully incorporated into both the professional and personal world as equals to our male counterparts, it’s key to realize that equality is the ideal we are searching for. As a feminist, I prefer to be one who speaks out for equality and fair distribution of social prominence (regardless of gender, race, orientation, or social status), without resorting to the angry, teeth-gnashing stereotype. I am adamant in stressing the importance of equality. We’re not here to position ourselves above men, but to position ourselves alongside them, as this world cannot run without the other. We shouldn’t be here to eat men up, as the stereotypes go, but to encourage them, with the utmost hopes that we are encouraged ourselves.
Third-wave feminism, contrary to the images portrayed in such feminist works as Bitch magazine and Diablo Cody’s Megan Fox fiasco Jennifer’s Body, should not be about promiscuous-and-proud young ladies “sticking it to the man.” Yes, we belong to an age that has thankfully liberated women from the shackles of sexual repression, and from the former restrictions that inhibited a woman to publicly speak her mind without the threat of flaming arrows, but there is room for some class – we don’t all have to become loudmouthed, makeup-boycotting stereotypes (and there certainly is a stereotype), but rather celebrate our status as women, as females, in whichever way we choose to portray ourselves. If a woman wants to toss around a football, or live in dresses, so be it. We’re women, for God’s sake, and feminism is about recognizing that, and realizing the power that holds, without trashing men. I reiterate with utmost agreement the point mentioned before that men are our friends, lovers and professional partners. Again, we’re simply trying to provide an essential shift in the mindset that women are less capable, without resorting to reducing male credibility. It should be a win-win situation here, ladies and gents. Essentially, what would a world without each separate wave of feminism be? Oppressed, and even more so these days, where sexism rears its ugly head in the faces of both genders. It’s not a battle of the sexes, but rather a battle involving the sexes against sexism. Wordy, yes, but there’s a big difference.
Sasha: The stereotype of the feminist is something that defeats the feminist cause, and leaves us easy to dismiss. This image of the feminist as a man-hater, as a lesbian, as a whiny, angry woman – it is used against those who would call themselves feminists. “She’s too ugly to get herself a man,” people might say. I had a conversation with a woman who had similar views as I do in regards to feminism, yet she outright said, “Oh, I’m not a feminist.” Why the hell not? It’s because of these ugly stereotypes. But I don’t think we should avoid these barriers placed in our way. Call yourself what you are.
On that note, you brought up the feminist magazine, Bitch. I believe this magazine is a “non-academic” analysis of sexism in media and pop culture. Self-described as “sharp” and “fun,” I really think the idea is to take back the meaning of the term “bitch.” What does it mean when a girl is called a bitch? It means she is assertive, perhaps aggressive – a man’s trait? She is taking on the role of the “superior” male and is being called out for it. Of course, this is one definition of the term, which I am assuming Bitch magazine is taking on. They are, in essence, taking control of a derogatory term laid on feminists. Of course, there have been criticisms about their style, but personally, I don’t have an issue with their tone.
But the aversion to being called a feminist takes away from the movement itself. The stereotype of the “bra-burning” woman (which, incidentally, was a term coined by the media in the ‘60s, though at that time a fire was never lit) pushes people away from the idea; it’s poisonous.
Leanna: While most third wave feminists wouldn’t like to call themselves sexists, the well-intentioned but ultimately objective-shattering fight for superiority in society pushes out the original notion of equality. They’re not fighting for the vote, for the job, or for the paycheque (though that is certainly an issue), but for whatever else is left to fight and make a scene for. The po-mo version of feminism, for instance, is anything but empowering in its introduction of a whole new kind of sexism against men, which can be as dangerous as a completely patriarchal society could be. I’d rather fight for the upholding of equality, of a world that truly cannot live without female just as it cannot live without male. That’s real empowerment, and that, I believe, is feminism.
Sasha: It comes down to fear of how people will perceive you. In a world where there isn’t enough of an understanding of how important the third wave is, and with the distorted perception of what a modern feminist is, it’s easy to imagine what a possible date might see in you: an angry, “sexist” man-eating woman clinging to an irrelevant idea. Angry for the sake of being angry. But the very definition of feminism is to end sexism, and modern feminists understand this.
And, really, who wants to date a person that doesn’t know jack-squat about feminism? Let’s take back our name, and wear it honestly.
