The Falsity Behind Feminism

By Shaeleigh Schmidt
Blog Content Contributor

Following the March on Washington that occurred Monday, Jan. 23, the feminist movement has gained a lot of attention. Although this should be a good thing, that isn’t completely the case; it seems that a lot of people remain misinformed. First of all, what is feminism? Feminism, in its purest definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.

Here lies the misconception: several people believe that feminist hate men, don’t believe in chivalry, or frown upon women who still want to be stay at home moms. You can be a stay at home mom, cook your significant other dinner, and even defer from having a job and still believe in the feminist movement. On the other hand, if you want to be a mom and still be the CEO of a company, you should definitely be able to do that. If you don’t want to have children at all, it’s still your choice. What women do with their lives is and always should be a personal choice.

Although the Women’s March drew a lot of attention towards the feminist movement, there are still a lot of misconceptions about what the movement stands for. Feminism means that men and women should be equals, which includes having equal pay and opportunities. Photo by Sarah Tarabell.

“Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum, instead of two sets of opposing ideals,” said Emma Watson, an ambassador for the United Nations Women Goodwill campaign- which calls for men to advocate for gender equality. “We should stop defining each other by what we are not, and start defining each other by who we are.”

Wear makeup or don’t wear makeup. Open the door for yourself or let a man open it for you. Run for president or don’t. It’s your choice.

The following list is just a portion of the women that each of us should thank for the equal rights that we have today: