You’re a WHAT?

Prior to this course and certainly now, I consider myself to be a feminist. I took my first women and gender studies course as a sophomore and it really changed my own perceptions about what it means to be a woman in our culture. Of course, feminism, dubbed the bad “F word,” has received an infamous reputation. It never ceases to surprise me how so many people can distort the meaning of the word and think women are asking for more than men or that we all hate men, when all it takes is a glance of the definition in the dictionary. Shockingly enough, the word means equality for both sexes. I almost feel the gasps heard around the world when they realize we don’t want more, we want the same,equality. The speaker of Guerrila Girls who came to the College recently beautifully surmised the gender dilemma as a metaphor for sharing the bed and that men, “should move over and make room for us.” I immersed myself in the Women and Gender Studies department and learned as a individual in ways I don’t think I could have in any other department. It fostered my curiosity and passion in the study. I have found more intellectual stimulating conversations in gender classes than any other class. It’s something that is so engrained in our daily lives that makes the study so pervasive and fascinating. I’ve often seen portrayals of feminism in a very negative light. One example that comes to mind is the portrayal of Miranda from “Sex and the City”; she is a New York City lawyer who often makes social commentary about how women are unfairly treated in the office and profession. Even though what she is saying is fact, she’s portrayed in a very masculine light and perceived as a lesbian by a coworker. This stereotype perpetuates the negative stigma attached to feminism that makes others hesistant to admit to the title. I certainly believe that the media has an impact on the perceptions about feminism because the media is to be a reflection of what’s happening in our lives; therefore, if the media attaches a negative image to feminism then some people will see it as fact. I do not mean to presume that the audience is merely a group of mindless consumers,but I do think that subconsciously those stereotypes trickle in. Feminists in the media are seen as mostly “ball-busters;” women who associate themselves as feminists are immediately pinned in this square of being insufferable and argumentative. I admit though, I’ve found myself getting angry when people do question why I am a feminist,what the word means to me and basic gender discrimination. Until we dismantle the unfair stigma attached to feminism, I feel unfortunately that the media will continue to portray feminism in a negative light.