It doesn’t take long these days for me to slide the fact that I'm a feminist into a conversation. I feel as though I have to let people know this upfront, because a.) I don’t shave my head but I do shave
under my arms and b) my bras might have holes in them but I’ll be dammed if I
burn them before I get a good 6 year use out of them. As I fail to exhibit any of the obvious 'clues' (so-called by the male dominated mainstream media), I think it’s fair to let them know so that, if in conversation, they're ill-informed enough to ask if the victim was drunk, they're forewarned of the tirade
that shall be a’coming their way.
I have a friend who I have known for donkeys
years. We both thought more was more when it came to applying glitter for the
year 6 disco, we were both quite late for the whole boyfriend thing, and we're both prone to forget the dangerous effects of Jaegerbombs on a bi-weekly basis. A few years ago, we both trundled up north
to University, her to study Law and me to study English. She then spent some time
traveling in Oz whilst I hopped from job to job at home. Recently we found
ourselves back in our home town for a while and spending every weekend at the local.
And here is where I discovered that she isn’t a feminist.
But she is.
She is in the terms that I define my own
feminism. She believes in equality.
But that’s all I know about what her views
on the subject. When pushed, it transpires that she sees feminism as a dirty
word, something that still means you hate men.
‘But
wouldn’t you be pissed off if you
joined a law firm and started to work your way up, but at the same time there
was a guy, same age, same qualifications, same time working up the ladder but
he got paid more than you?’
‘Yes,
but that doesn’t happen anymore.’
‘Yes
it does.’
‘Fine,
that’s not fair but I’m still not a feminist.’
I’ve lent her my copy of ‘How to be a
Woman’ as sort of a gentle introduction, but I’m pretty sure it’s collecting
dust in her bedroom.
Should it bother me that she won’t call
herself a feminist? Surely it is just a word, and actions should speak louder
than any label?
But it bothers me. She is clever,
bright, academic, witty and wins many a debate in the last 5 minutes before
kicking out time in the pub. Why wouldn’t she want to describe herself as something
that embodies her beliefs?
My mother also doesn’t call herself a
feminist. 7 years ago she reluctantly took over a Girl Guides group in our
town. Within weeks they had done away with the singing around a toadstool and
now they go swimming and bike riding and also do an Eco Beach clean once a summer.
They host talks from women who are in careers that are typically thought
of as men’s professions. A surgeon, an engineer and a politician from the Welsh
Assembly all came to talk for an evening about their careers to a group of
girls between 11 and 14 years of age. That, I think, is a great Monday night
and an active fight against the slow and subtle sexism that these girls might
experience in school. But my mum says she's not a feminist.
Should it matter then that these two women
actively disregard the word ‘feminist’. Is it just a label? The belief in the
fight for equal treatment is surely what truly matters? So does it matter if they
actively avoid the word?
Is the fight less valuable if it is fought
on individual terms? The same values still exist, headway is potentially still
being made, we are united in our goals, just not our proclamation of the word.
Looking at the outcomes of the #fbrape campaign, it is again proof that it
takes people coming together, standing up together and saying together that
something isn’t right for it to have an effect. We’re stronger fighting for our
sex, not just ourselves.
Should I be berating for her to realise
that the word has changed? That it can mean what you want it to mean. Feminist
is how I describe myself, but every feminist argument does not define my own
thinking. Occasionally I admit I find the word headlining a fight I don’t
believe in. I think body hair is your choice and that’s all we need to say
about it. Louise Mench needs to realise she may want to be a role model, but
she’s not a model that most of us were built on. Feminism to me is
a dynamic word. It holds people together through movements that can lead to
change, and argues against FGM and 14 year olds subjected to abuse on crowded
buses. With violence against women still going on, it angers me that someone could be embarrassed by a word that is used by those campaigning against these atrocities. But does it matter? As long
as they are against what is happening in the world, should we care what they
call themselves?
With more and more women in the public eye cautiously hopping around the word feminism, and young girls
verbally abused in schools for daring to proudly label themselves as feminists,
should we be surprised the word attracts a mixed reaction even from those who
believe in the principles of feminism?
I realise that I haven't answered any of my own questions. Perhaps you can.
- BG
