My Views on Feminism Part 2

     The last time I wrote about feminism, I was very angry. I'm still very angry. But the more I read and the more I talk about feminism, the better I feel.
     I'm reading a book right now called "Manifesta" by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards. The second I started reading this book, I was even more proud to call myself a feminist. In  "Manifesta", these women start off with talking about what feminism is and what feminism isn't, and that's what I'd like to talk about today.
     "In the most basic sense, feminism is exactly what the dictionary says it is: the movement for social, political and economic equality of men and women." Now, to me, it seems that with this being the definition, every single person in the world should be completely gung-ho for feminism. The problem is that a lot of the time, feminism is defined incorrectly. For example: "Feminists encourage women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, become lesbians, and destroy capitalism." I can tell you right now if that's what I thought feminism was, I would be slightly less interested in the idea. Because feminists are seen as radicals in society, no one can relate to them and the idea becomes less and less desirable. We have to realize though, that the man who said this is not wrong, he's just over-exaggerating and THAT is what makes feminism unrelatable; the idea that all feminists are crazy. I dare you to tell me that you don't know one woman who is unhappy with her husband, a woman that feels she isn't fit to be a mother, a woman who disagrees with the socially acceptable tradition of being a god-fearing Christian, a woman who is confused about her sexuality or simply likes to kiss other women, or a woman who disagrees with the corrupt system that kicked her out of her house in 2008. Every one of those situations is relatable. Feminism includes every woman who has issues with society and her place in it. "In reality, feminism wants you to be whoever you are-but with a political consciousness. And vice versa: you want to be a feminist because you want to be exactly who you are." That's it.
     Before I really immersed myself into the world of feminism, I was scared of it. I was scared of it because I had been taught that feminism wasn't normal. I'm ashamed to say it, but for a long time I thought every feminist was a lesbian. I am not a lesbian. I am attracted to women, yes. Perhaps this is because of the way I was exposed to the bodies of women by boys my age when I was growing up, or maybe it's just the way I am. Either way, I am still attracted to men and I feel that there is nothing wrong with this because I am free to be who I am. It's important to recognize how harmful labels are when we speak of things like feminism, communism, anarchism, or lesbianism. There's a spectrum and seeing past what society wants you to see is incredibly important in the growth of ideas and the growth of people.
     The reason that I believed that feminism was abnormal and bad was because that's exactly what society wanted me to think. I was scared of feminism because society is scared of feminism. Society is scared of a woman who doesn't shave her armpits and refuses to wear make up and is comfortable with being fat and has something to say to men who stare at her body. This is a feminist, but this is not the only type of feminism. THERE IS A SPECTRUM. If you are a woman and you have a job, you are a feminist. If you are a man and you love your partner because she is confident, comfortable with herself and REAL, you are a feminist. If you are a woman and keep your last name when you get married, you are a feminist. If you believe that both sexes should have the right to adopt a child, whether they are a single woman, man, or homosexual couple, you are a feminist. If you understand that you have the right to say "no" to sex when you don't want it, you are a feminist.
     Many people, women and men, believe that feminism will never get past the point that it's at now. The only reason feminism will become stagnant is because of people who say it will. The only thing holding feminism back is the denial of feminism. If you are a man or a woman and you believe in equality, free yourself from society's expectations, be a freaking feminist and be proud of it.