Beyonce's Song 'Flawless'

What exactly is Feminism? Feminism is all about women's liberation; the liberation in a world where men are not only looked as superior, but also run the world and tell women what we can or cannot do. Feminists dream of a world where we can be treated equally as men. We do not care

The textbook definition of feminism is “a doctrine that advocates equal rights for women” (WordNet, 2010). While this is correct, there is much more to it than that.

Feminists are people for the equal rights and opportunities of women. Most people associate feminists with the radical feminists of the 1960’s, who were most known for burning bras. Another basic stereotype of feminists is that they want

Feminist, I think love to hide behind the word equality, for the purposes of hiding their true nature and/or agendas. These kinds of Women I believe hate men and would rather be the more dominant species.

“Feminist: adjective, advocating social, political, legal, and economic rights for women - equal to those of men” (Dictionary.com). It is no secret that the true definition of a “feminist” has been tossed around and distorted throughout the years. There are several existing views on who feminists are today. Some think that feminists have devolved since the days of the women’s suffrage movements and that they are now simply “men-haters” that want to attain higher social and economic statuses than men. Others believe that women are still supporting and fighting for their rights and equality. The article, “The “F” Word: How the Media Frame Feminism” by Debra Baker Beck, takes the stance that through the years, the term “feminism” has been wrongly consumed by negative connotations because of people who misunderstand the intent of feminism. She strives to establish a more placid perspective of feminists in the media. In Cathy Young’s article “Feminists Treat Men Badly. It’s Bad For Feminism” the blame for the skewed definition of feminists is placed on modern feminists and their tendency to “mock and berate men” (Young, N.p.). The debate is over whether or not modern feminists are faithfully supporting their roots of fighting for equality or if they have strayed to shaming or hating men instead.

To quote Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, an influential modern feminist, in her song ‘Flawless’ she defines a feminist as “a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes”

Feminism, according to Merriam-Webster (2016) is defined as "the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men." Though this is the definition of the term,

What does it mean to be a Feminist? Does it automatically mean you hate men or does it mean you're an activist for women's rights? Contrary to popular belief, feminism is not about establishing a superior gender. It is about fighting for equality and destroying the social, cultural and historical norms set upon women throughout the world. The Twenty-first century has brought change and growth to female empowerment. Although, in many parts of the world women are given the same rights as men, they are still treated and viewed inferior to men. G.I. Jane perfectly illustrates the struggle women have gone through, even when given “identical” opportunities as men.

Feminism is a living word. There can never truly be a one set definition for the word as the term has often shifted meanings to correspond to the time period. Feminists fight for the rights that men have under the United States Constitution and to have the right to not be discriminated against. Any action against any woman, intentional or not, goes against the principles that many women and men stand for.

Feminist. A word that contemporary society has refused to acknowledge the history of has become negatively associated as anti-men. A word that once was associated with women who fought for the rights that women today use and abuse is now scrutinized. Thus leading women of our generation who have feminist beliefs to deny being identified as feminists. The idea of the word feminist having a negative connotation is dangerous to the women of our generation.

Of the definitions of feminism presented in the readings/videos, the one that occurred most often was “Feminist: someone who believes in social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.” This definition came up in the TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She states that this is the first definition of feminism she encountered, when she was told by her childhood friend that she was a feminist. This definition is also brought up in Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg. She presents statists regarding this definition. She says that when women are asked if they are feminists, 24% say that they are, but when they are presented with the definition, the percent jumps to 65%. She says that our success lies in understanding what we are for and against, and not applying labels to ourselves. This same concept is presented in the article by Andi Zeisler, “The VMAs Cemented Feminism as Beyoncé 's Brand. What Comes Next?” The article talks about Bjork, another musician, who states that she does not consider herself a feminist because, she said, “I think it would isolate me.” Actress Melissa Leo stated “as soon as we start labeling and categorizing ourselves and others, that’s going to shut down the world.”

“Feminist: the person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.”, those are the words used to define a feminist by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The quote was later sampled by popular music artist Beyonce in her song, “Flawless”, from her self titled album. This quote and a performance of the song later caused an unforeseen backlash by some feminist. Pandemonium ensued as a result of Beyonce’s actions. Feminist debated about who can and cannot call themselves a feminist. Feminist argued Beyonce, her music, and dancing supported a misogynistic culture. They falter by proclaiming one brand of feminism is better than the other. The overall message you can’t be too risqué, or you cannot be feminist.

The definition of feminism is very elusive. Maybe because of its ever-changing historical meaning, it’s not for certain whether there is any coherence to the term feminism or if there is a definition that will live up to the movement’s variety of adherents and ideas. In the book “No Turning Back,” author Estelle Freedman gives an accurate four-part definition of the very active movement: “Feminism is a belief that women and men are inherently part of equal worth. Because most societies privilege men as a group, social movements are necessary to achieve equality between women and men, with the understanding that gender always intersects with other social hierarchies” (Freedman 7).

Feminism kicked off in 1848 in Seneca Falls when the first Women’s Conference was held. This conference brought about a movement that would only grow larger with each coming decade. Feminism is defined as “the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.” Now the question of if I would consider myself a feminist, I would have to answer no. I would describe myself as a free thinking independent woman and do not want to be labeled under the word feminist. I don’t want to be classified under feminism because I don’t fit or agree with some of today's negative opinions that feminism portrays. One opinion is that feminists are man haters. I am not a man hater.

When one think of women who are feminist they think of females who dislike males and are against everything they stand for but that is not the case. Individuals don’t know what it means to be a feminist. It simply means that women see themselves as an equal to men and there shouldn’t be a stereotype on how women are believed to portray themselves. In respect a male can too be seen as a feminist if he believes in equal rights.