Many Faces of Feminism

With feminism and women’s rights coming to the forefront of political and pop culture, we asked six students from various backgrounds and identities what feminism meant to them. Here’s what they had to say:

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  • “I’m a less outspoken feminist than most people would associate with feminism. To me, feminism means equality. It means not having to constantly talk louder and longer in order for my opinions to be heard. It’s not having to tell guys that something they say is offensive because they don’t even understand what is sexist and what isn’t. I think because I’m a white, upper middle-class kid I’m really privileged and have been given opportunities that a lot of women haven’t been able to have. I can honestly say that I haven’t personally experienced the magnitude of misogyny and sexism that I know is out there. I’m probably a little naive about the subject.”

  • “I think feminism is an interesting word and in today’s society, it means different things for different people. I think men and women should be equal, and that’s that. To me, feminism means that men and women should be equal, and there should really be no difference. Feminism applies to anyone. It applies to anything. It is the idea that everyone should be equal. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, feminism means women fighting for other women no matter who they are. Women still have prejudice against other women, and true feminism is setting aside differences to come together. Feminism is still necessary because it still applies at the core today to people who are severely disadvantaged by sexism, not just inconvenienced by it.”

  • “I think feminism means that women have the same rights as men and they shouldn’t be treated differently than men should. I personally don’t think there is much of a difference between what race you are, or the genders. I think maybe each group might have different cultures and there are certain ways each gender is treated, but otherwise, I think it’s pretty universal. I think feminism is necessary because it’s part of our daily lives and it’s important that we all get treated the same ways and have the same opportunities to reach our goals.”

  • “Feminism is more than just rights. I think it’s the mentality of equal rights, so more than just politically and socially being equal but people actually believing in what they are doing in context of that. Having Indian parents, you might think it might have affected me negatively, but because of the way my dad’s actions and decisions he makes, with a mindset that ‘We are always here to help everyone’ and it’s affected my mindset too. It’s still a battle we’re fighting. We’re definitely not close to being done.”

  • “To me, feminism means that you support, not just women, but that you support everyone. Women should have the needed support they need to make their way through society and not feel weakened by men. And I think it’s a good push to have throughout in the future. We need interaction between males and females to survive. Women provide things to the table that we can’t think of. In the future, we should all have equal opportunities so we aren’t biased and we make the right decisions.”

  • “Feminism is beyond just equality for women. I look at it as a branch that first started with women, and has now expanded to equality for everyone. A lot of people like to stereotype feminists, insisting that they’re all crazy and hate men but the feminist movement is beyond gender. There isn’t much of a difference because I’m hispanic. If anything, it could make Latinos feel as though the the gender breach is just another obstacle among the many in our search for social equality. I didn’t think feminism would still be necessary by now. Again, because of certain events that I think that I, along with a lot of other people, have opened our eyes to how a lot of people not only in the U.S. but in the other places around the world view equality, something so basic has been and continues to be so hard to achieve.”

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