The F-Word Revisited

This post is inspired by Ilyka Damen's blog post on defining feminism. I have too much to put into her comments, so I'll put it here.

The definition of feminism is inclusionary and neither elitist nor male-bashing, and typifies what self-named feminists (and many label-avoiding feminists) everywhere are trying to achieve.

The word "feminist" first appeared in print in 1895 in reference to a woman who "has in her the capacity of fighting her way back to independence" (from Susan Faludi's Backlash). Feminism is a theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes, an organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests, as well as a movement seeking to remove restrictions that discriminate against women.

I hate when people insist the term "humanist" is preferable. Yes, I want ALL human beings to have equal rights and opportunities, but my stance involves actively raising women's rights to the same level as men's without any hatred or bitterness towards men in general.

I understand feminism to be inclusionary by definition. It seems inconsistent to me to allow people to call themselves feminist only if they fit a personal, unwritten criteria (e.g. don't take their husband's last name, or don't shave their body). These minor issues have so little to do with the general notion of advancing women as a group that it's perplexing to me that so much energy is spent in narrowing down the definition to an elitist arena.

Feminists are of all races, classes, religions, sexual orientations, and sexes. Humourless or hysterical, headstrong or submissive, hairy or shaven, adorned or natural, anti-porn or anti-censorship, celibate or sexually active, feminism is not exclusive to any one extreme. Feminists cannot be defined by appearances or personalities, but only by an inherent belief that women are AS important and significant as men, and that women "deserve more of whatever it is they are not getting enough of because they are women" (says Naomi Wolf)

What women are not getting enough of may include equal pay for equal work, increased employment options, safety in the streets, freedom from abuse, freedom from media propagation of gender stereotypes, safe and effective birth control methods, more media representation of women of all types, access to all levels of education and employment, increased funding for breast, uterine and ovarian cancers, affordable daycare, reasonable maternity leaves everywhere, et cetera. If you think many or most of these issues are worth fighting for, then the F-word probably applies to you too.

We've come a long way, but not nearly far enough. It's up to individuals to determine their area of greatest concern and work from there. "Work" can mean anything from not laughing at an offensive joke about rape, to discussing any of the above topics with friends to (God forbid) forming a committee to work on gender issues.

Finally, it's certainly not the case that men don't count in the picture, and I know some men fear this is becoming the trend, but that women have been discounted for so many centuries the general political focus has to be shifted for equity to occur on this front. No-one wants men and women to be the same, but feminists want men and women to have equal opportunities, rights, and responsibilities, and we certainly want men to join in the fight.

I'm a feminist, and I love to be pampered and nurtured, to get bouquets of flowers, to have doors opened for me, and to be told good (i.e. non-abusive) dirty jokes here and there. My male friends appreciate these things too. I work for change in equity issues, and I still ask for help if I get a flat tire - so do my brothers.

Feminism is not defined by one specific issue that may or may not include you, but by a theory of self-worth that applies to every woman's life without exception.