We teach girls that they can have ambition, but not too much … to be successful, but not too successful, or they’ll threaten men – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
There was a time when being a woman meant that you were nothing more than a commodity. No matter how highly placed a woman might have been in society, that perspective didn’t change. In fact, princesses were given away in marriage for the main purpose of helping the king expand his kingdom to other countries or help foster good diplomatic relations.
As strange as this may sound in this day and age, there are societies where women are still treated with disdain or subjected to the worst conditions. However, with the amount of awareness that is being carried out things have gotten a lot better.
Despite this, I feel that there is still a lot to do. We should all be feminists and there is still a massive room for improvement. Here are the reasons why I believe there is still a lot to be done.
Women are shamed for being feminists
I think this is the important issue we are having today with regards to being a feminist. Many women are shamed for being feminists, and they are mostly shamed by other women, which I find bizarre. Feminist is now a very dirty word not to be mentioned anywhere on social media, because the many trolls would devour for even thinking the thought out loud.
Women are not owning up to their femininity
There are a lot of ladies out there who feel that being strong, confident or independent means they have assumed the masculine role, which is so not true. You can still be feminine and be strong, confident and independent.
We females need to continuously appreciate our feminine side. Many of us fail to own it! We push the femininity aside because we feel that we won’t be able to go far in life, showing off that side to us, the side that makes us. We need to own our femininity without shame.
Sexual abuse is still on the high side
I still get shocked at the number of sexual atrocities women go through on a daily basis. Being sexual abused gives hints as to the ancient perspective that women are objects that you can use and dispose off.
This type of perspective is one that needs to be flushed out from society. If we don’t have enough women and men who embrace the feminine cause, then these sexual vices will continue.
Women get paid lower than men
One of the places where we see gender inequality is in the workplace. Women are still given lower pay than men. There has been no reasonable explanation to this. We can only sense that gender issues are still at play.
Women are known to work as hard as men and are equally capable of climbing the ladder of success with their educational qualification and experience. But when the push comes to shove, gender gets in the way, and the woman is robbed off what they truly deserve.
There’s a lot of marginalization as regards to things that women can do
It was just recently that women were allowed to serve in the armed forces. Although that can be counted as a small victory there are so many areas where women are either not allowed to be in or are seen as odd creatures in that zone.
A good example is that there are very few female civil engineers as it is seen as more of a man’s trade than a woman’s. It is also seen as odd for a man to be a stay at home father, while the woman is the breadwinner of the family.
I had the pleasure of listening to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk, and I found it enlightening. Do have a listen when you can.
So just for record, I am a happy feminist. I love fashion and makeup, I dress for myself and I don’t hate men. I am an unapologetic FEMINIST!
What are your thoughts on this?
Definitely! My mother has always instilled this in me at a very early age. She wasn’t just a feminist/but an activist as well, back home. She still is even in her old age. I’d like to think that I’m doing my bit with T. It’s always best to start them early too, isn’t it? x
Yes it is best to start with the kiddies early x
Honestly I feel like sometimes we are going backwards on the feminism road because some of the above and there is still much work to be done! We shouldn’t get complacent as women..
Yea we shouldn’t.
Totally agree with all of your points – why is it assumed these days that to be a feminist means to hate men?! x
I don’t understand it myself.
I completely agree and being around strong women constantly inspires me to be better and work hard no matter what the gender boundaries are. I think women also need to learn to empower each other – we have all been put up against each other it seems to ‘compete’ but if we step back and really appreciate and empower one another we could do anything! X
It inspires me too x
I think being strong and fair is important. Feminism seems to have such a bad reputation these days 🙁
Yea. So sad.
I like that you touch on the fact that women are being shamed for being feminists. Being a feminist is being in favor of women.
Yea the shaming does annoy me.
Thank you for speaking out about this. I am a a feminist and I feel that we should all be. The amount of times I have been shamed for wanting equality is unreal x
The shaming is unreal, and it pisses me off so much x
Couldn’t agree with you more. This is an issue that’s still not taken seriously in some cases and it needs to be.
Thanks Jordanne..
My father always encouraged me to believe that I could do anything and be anything I wanted. It was only in adulthood that I realised the gaps that exist.
Yea same here..
The same happened to me. Actually the whole world turned up-size-down when realizing the social hierarchy. One of the saddest moments.
Feminism seems to have a bad rep these days. There’s still a long way to go.
I agree Debbie.
Thank you for speaking out. There is still much work to be done!
Yes there is Jenni.
Yes, yes, YES. Everyone, female, male, any other gender – we should all care about equality for each and everyone. I’m so glad you stressed the fact that being a feminist does not mean being masculine – if you wanna be, cool. But I will not tolerate anyone, feminist or not, telling women not to wear makeup or be feminine when that’s who they wanna be. Much love to you sister <3
Thanks for stopping by.
Absolutely agree. I know women who are feminists but refuse to call themselves so or believe that they are one because of the stigma the word gets. It’s turned into such a dirty word, so there needs to be more posts like this to educate!
Yes I agree Samantha.
Great post, we should most definitely all be feminists! I’m not afraid to admit I am one!
Thank you.
Feminism is such an important movement and one that should be encouraged, not downtrodden.
True that Emma.
I think that these credibility gaps are being deliberatley created around it.
I don’t hate men either.
Just can’t stand ones that see women as “secondary”
Great post.
X
Feminism has a bad name and it shouldn’t. I studied women’s studies at uni but it was then cancelled as ‘sexist’. Men and women are equal but different.
Yea. True that.
Thanks for sharing this! Really interesting read
Thanks Ellie.
Pingback: Emily Ratajkowski Covers Glamour UK August 2017 « fashionandstylepolice
Love this! Please check out my recent blog post about feminism 🙂
I will. Thanks.
I am also an unapologetic feminist! I come from South Africa, and I have found that my country possesses incredibly dominant patriarchal cultures, with women’s existences validated only by the positions that they occupy in the home, and by the ways in which they serve men sexually. This has an incredible impact on rape culture – with South Africa being one of the rape capitals of the world. It absolutely sickens me. Let me know your thoughts!
Loved this post! Feminism is a movement that really needs to catch fire. I think people need to understand that feminism doesn’t mean placing females above males, but ensuring that females are placed equal to males
It definitely needs to catch fire. Thanks for reading.