Feminism

Feminism is a fantastic topic that needs to be discussed more often in our society. I definitely consider myself a feminist. What does that mean? To me, it means that I understand and acknowledge the fact that the playing field has not been even between men and women throughout history, and still isn't to this day. It means that I understand that we've still got a long way to go in terms of truly achieving equality. Everyone knows that throughout history, women have always been considered lesser than men. Women were treated as property in ancient times, and weren't treated much better as the years went on. Women were treated as second class citizens, and didn't gain many of the rights that they have today until embarrassingly recently in history. Even though steps towards equality have been made, we have to realize that the fight for equality is far from over, and we've still got a long way to go. The reason for that, I believe, is the fact that the patriarchy has been so strongly ingrained and rooted in our society throughout history that we still see examples of it every day. Feminism is an ongoing fight, and it will take the efforts of every feminist on the planet to continue to fight the good fight, and undo the wrongs of our past. There are definitely some misconceptions about feminism that need to be addressed. When many people think of feminists, they think of angry women with an obvious chip on their shoulders who think that all men need to be punished for the inequality that has been established in our society. Though I wont deny that there are people like that out there, I wouldn't say that's a good representation of feminists as a whole. Feminists come in all shapes and sizes, as well as all genders (yes men can be feminists) and they can all vary in the views they have of feminism as a whole. Feminism as a whole isn't about female superiority, it's about equality between the genders. Feminism is about correcting the wrongs of our past and building a better future for both men and women. I am unashamed to say that I'm a proud feminist. Though we've come a long way we still have a lot of work to do on the road to equality, but if everyone puts forth their best effort, I believe we can become an egalitarian society that works better for everyone.