Tay's Outlook: Third Wave Feminism

Feminism.

This is one word in today's society that elicits four main reactions;

The strong third wave feminists: These are the people responsible for this new wave of feminism. The outspoken men and women who believe and strongly stand their ground against this in every way.

The strongly opposed: Similarly to our first group of people, these are the educated individuals who are strongly against feminism. They have done their research and understand what these third wavers stand for and disagree with their policies.

These two groups of people are the smallest percentage of the general population. The majority of which sit in the following two categories;

The girls who think they're feminists: These are a lot of naive young females in society who don't have a good grasp of what the third wavers are all about, but they are told, some may say brainwashed, into believing that feminism is a great thing.
They usually hold this opinion because of role models around them that say that feminism is important, their basic knowledge of it being that it is to fight sexism.

The men and women who are against feminists: These people, like our last group, are uneducated on the topic and have just heard the whispers from family members, from friends, from other people that they look up to that it is a bad thing. That it is a group of extremists that is something to be feared and to be beaten.

For all of you, you will most likely identify with one of the two latter categories. For a long time growing up, when third wave feminism became something that was more and more prevalent in the media and around my world, I definitely fit into that third category - a young girl who was all for standing up against sexism, therefore believing that feminism was a good thing.

But I was, as most people are, uneducated on the topic and naive as to what these people really stood for.

Writing this today, I can see the appeal of feminism in today's world. But I have also experienced how crippling it can be for young women.
I know that most of you reading this, especially my fellow women out there, have probably gasped and may even be outraged at reading that statement. Well, before you pass judgment on me, hear me out.

Firstly, one thing I want to say before I do go into my opinion about this, is that all of this stuff is just that, my opinion. I don't write this at all to offend anyone or to start any arguments. I respect every single one of you, regardless of your political beliefs. I would never not be friends with someone who disagreed with me in this regard, and I would never judge or condemn any of you for what your political, religious or any other beliefs are.

Now, feminism is something that was originally created to stand up to oppression and the patriarchy. First and second wave feminism were incredible political movements that made this world a more equal, and better place. As a women, I only have respect for those warriors that made the world we live in a reality, for those who let me, as a women, have access to all of the same opportunities that any of my male peers have.

However, opportunity is what it is. Equality is what we should be looking for, but not equality in the sense that a lot of people think of it, equality in opportunity is what we need.

People have different needs, men and women have different needs, the same way that children and adults do. In my opinion, we do deserve to be treated differently, we need to be treated differently to allow us that freedom and equality in opportunity.

The thing that I hate about third wave feminism and a lot of the movements that I have read about, or seen on the news/heard talked about are condemning men in the same way that the patriarchy condemned women all those years ago.
I know that it might seem ridiculous that a middle class, white male would need someone to stand up for them, that they even know what it feels like to be discriminated against. But THAT is exactly what I see happening by so called 'feminists' every day.

But it's not just the middle class, white male that third wavers are discriminating against, it's also OTHER WOMEN.
This is something I feel very strongly about as I have personal experience with this particular kind of discrimination.

Life is about choice. Or at least, it should be. Equality of opportunity also means equality of choice does it not? That's the beautiful thing about opportunity, the power to choose whether to take it up or not. Based on what you want, your morals and your life goals.

Trust me, as a women in this position, but girls these days that do want to live a more traditional lifestyle, girls who's end goal in life is to get married to an amazing man, to have children and be the best mother and wife that they can be, are absolutely shunned by the majority of their own gender.
All of a sudden, we as a society, have told young girls that they should be ashamed of the idea of being a housewife. They shouldn't have goals as 'low' as that. They should all want to be scientists, or actors, or astronauts. To do everything that they were never allowed to do before.

But no, those first and second wave feminists didn't fight for young girls to all be astronauts. They fought for them to have that as an OPTION.

I personally, have been told that I'm a disgrace to my gender because of the fact that one of my main goals in life is exactly that. To be a good wife, to be a good mother and to nurture my family. And I know, that I am not the only young girl growing up that has been told that.

That is the reason that I personally, believe that people need to just calm down. Regardless of anything whether that be relgion, gender, race, sexual orientation - we all just need to stop the judgement, stop the condemnation and all just truly BE equal.

Comments

Popular Posts