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The 'F' Word

Why I Am a Feminist

By Bethany HutsonPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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Blogger. Dreamer. Feminist.

It is the dreaded 'F' word; the title people scared their sons, and daughters, and wives, and husbands, and friends into staying away from. It seems to be more socially acceptable in this world to tell someone to "F**k Off" rather than someone "I am a Feminist."

During my first year of university I attended a seminar in which the lecturer asked the classroom full of (apparently) open-minded and enthusiastic students how many of us would refer to ourselves as a Feminist. Instantly I put my hand up and looking around the room I realised I was the only one. Out of 22 students (both male and female) I was the only one willing to title myself as a Feminist.

After this incident I became more emotionally and physically aware of the concept of "Feminism" and "Women’s Rights," and it is safe to say that I have had my fair share of heated debates, put-downs, and plenty of support.

I wrote this blog having been inspired by the pictures of the women’s march in America and feeling disappointed that I was unable to be there. Instead of marching, I will use the platform I do have.

Feminism, for those of you who are terrified of the term, is the promotion of women’s rights for the equality of the sexes. As Feminists, we are not sitting in conference room, plotting the downfall of the male species, but rather the deconstruction of patriarchy. In this world, I believe we should all be Feminists no matter what gender you are. There are simple reasons why I believe in Feminism and a belief I intend to promote to my daughters and to my sons.

I am a Feminist because I believe that we all deserve equality, no matter gender, race, or religion.

I am a Feminist because I believe I deserve to wear a skirt as short as I want with no worry of being slut-shamed or risking myself to the uncontrollable needs of some men.

I am a Feminist because I believe I deserve to be equal in my relationship with my boyfriend. I am not higher than him and he is not higher than me, we are a team.

I am a Feminist because I know that I am not weak and any flaws I do have are not defined by my sex.

In 1867 The London Society for Women’s Suffrage was created in support of women’s right to vote. Thirty-six years later women were still treated as second class citizens in society, leading to the founding of the Women’s Social and Political Union by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903. It took another 25 years for all women to be granted the vote. In 2018, our second female prime minister of Britain was elected and despite her political aspirations for the country, several newspapers wrote articles on what shoes she wore.

In 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her home following years of depression and oppression by the Patriarchy of Hollywood. In 2018, actresses of Hollywood are still fighting for their rights against sexual harassment, abuse, and assault in the workplace.

Despite the leaps and bounds of women’s rights since 1867 in 2018 we, as women, must march to campaign for our rights which should, by now, be automatically given to us. Yet, one year ago women’s rights as equal non-sexualised beings took a step backwards when an undeniable abhorrent being was voted to be President of the United States. A President who stated via social media that “26,000 unreported sexual assults in the military-only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together?”

That is an actual quote, spelling mistakes and all.

I know. There are no words.

Even if you consider yourself a Feminist or not, men and women should stand together as equals and show the next generation of children that we have learnt from the mistakes of our past. If we can do this then perhaps women’s rights will be as fast paced as the iPhone.

“Women have one of the great acts of all time. The smart ones act very feminine and needy, but inside they are real killers. The person who came up with the expression ‘the weaker sex’ was either very naïve or had to be kidding. I have seen women manipulate men with just a twitch of their eye—or perhaps another body part.”

Donald Trump, you are correct. Those who believe women are "the weaker sex" are naïve. We have survived hundreds of years of oppression and we have not lost any energy in our fight for equality.

You are also correct about our manipulative body part; the brain is the most complex organ and we are smarter than we have ever been given credit for. For starters, we know how to spell assault.

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