Emma Watson took a stand for feminism on Saturday at the recent U.N. and for that I am so grateful. I personally haven't researched much about the topic of feminism in comparison to some feminists but I have been following Watson on her journey as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and I am so in awe of her and how much she has done (and will continue to do no doubt). Watson is dedicated to a position which looks at empowering women around the world and bringing men, women and any other gender together to fight against gender inequalities. She has inspired me to jot down why I became a feminist in the first place and why it is necessary to be a feminist in this world. So here are all of the reasons why I became a feminist...
Because Of Family Influences
First and foremost, my family was (and still sometimes is) a big influence in why I became a feminist. Most of my teenage years were spent being told to stop being so "unladylike". To this day, I still have that word thrown at me like it's a casual part of conversation. As well as being told I'm "unladylike," I have never felt equal to my male counterparts (aka my brothers). Although they may believe that there is equality between the genders in our family I have almost always had an innate feeling that there was never equality. Only in recent years have I started feeling more equal to my brothers. Furthermore, my sister was refused the opportunity to take up football when she was a young girl as it was deemed a "boy sport." These are only small examples of how my family have influenced me to become a feminist; how these experiences, among others, have helped me to realise why it is so important to believe in women's rights.
To Support All Women, Everywhere
This is the one big reason why I chose to be a feminist. Having been brought up in a school that believed in compassion as one of the main values in life, I have come to realise that there are many other women out there that have to live lives much worse than mine (in terms of gender inequality). This ties in nicely with the mention of my trip to South Africa exactly 5 years ago. When I visited and taught in South Africa, I found that the gender inequalities weren't as prominent in the school that I taught at but rather the orphanage that I volunteered at. This frightened me because these were young girls being taught (by men) that their bodies weren't their own. These men were taking advantage of the younger girls and teaching them that it was acceptable to be raped, and who knows what affect that could have on them later in life. I was simply outraged from all of the stories that I heard in South Africa. From that moment onwards, I knew I would be a big believer in women's rights.
To Help Society Evolve
I believe society is stuck in the traditional past, a past which practices gender inequalities. There are many traditions from a long time ago that are still practiced today. One easy tradition to relate to for both men and women, is whether or not the man should pay for the meal on the first date. Personally, I'm offended if a man offers to pay for the meal on the first date. I feel as though he is assuming that I don't have enough money to pay for my own meal. Now, I'm not saying the man can't pay for the meal on the first date however I feel it should be mutually agreed upon. Furthermore, when it comes to this particular tradition I believe that the majority of the LGBTQ+ community have completely understood this concept of feminism due to the near eradication of this particular practice. It just goes to show that the human race is evolving, but they are only evolving so far. There are many more instances similar to the dating situation in which I could give examples but this example gives both genders a good look at what feminism is.
To Stop Gender Stereotypes
As mentioned at the beginning of this post in Watson's speech, both men and women should feel free to be what they want to be. Whether that is feminine or masculine. Furthermore, Watson mentioned that we should not see genders as two opposing ideals, instead we should perceive gender on a spectrum. For instance, who are you to decide how someone else wants to be/look like/act like/feel like? It's a person's choice to do what they want and be want they want and that choice is completely irrelevant to you just like your choice is completely irrelevant to them. So if you're a man, please don't feel it's necessary to hide under the stereotypical "man" umbrella - be open to your opposing side and vice versa for women. The two opposing gender stereotypes need to be eradicated!
I have much more to say and so does every other feminist out there, so I might simply leave it there and let anyone comment if they feel they need to. Finally I extend Emma Watson's invite to all of the men reading this blog post to take the opportunity to speak out for gender equality, because gender equality is your issue to (you can stand up for gender equality here).
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| This photo makes me feel happy about feminism in particular - I don't know why, it just does. (Taken in South Africa, 2009). |
"... And if you still hate the word [feminism], it is not the word that is important it is the idea and the ambition behind it."
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