Women who are hesitant to define themselves as “feminist,” but retain the belief that men and women should have equal rights are feminists. Men and women who believe that equality among genders is a human right should classify himself or herself as a feminist. Emma Watson made a poignant statement regarding this perception during her United Nations speech. Watson stated that, “It’s not the word that is important; it’s the ideas and ambition that is behind it.” Watson went on to urge men and women to face the gender ideals that pressure them into living an inauthentic life due to obligation. Many people fear the word, but wholly agree with the idea of feminism.
Many people avoid the word “feminist.” Fear drives this notion. Hodgeland’s article explains the isolation that coincides with the decision to embrace feminist ideals. “Fear of feminism, then, is not a fear of gender, but rather a fear of politics” (Hodgeland 2). The author also discusses the hesitation that plagues women of privilege to avoid defining a portion of their beliefs as feminist. American culture has the idea that one’s privilege must come at the cost of another’s oppression (Hodgeland 3). Men and women alike fear that if women gain equality then men would have to demote themselves and vice versa. The truth is, feminism is not about one gender, one woman, or a single class of women, but rather, feminism should a priority for all people.
Marketing campaigns contribute to these fears. Corporations fear that
Roxane Gay, author of the article entitled “Bad Feminist”, is a very accomplished American feminist writer. Her publication of “Bad Feminist” in 2012 gained national public attention (1). Feminism, as defined in the dictionary, is “the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes” (2), but Gay explains throughout her article that being a feminist is not just as simple as agreeing with this need for gender equality. The feminist label is too narrow and because of this the feminist movement is breaking apart. In this piece, Gay addresses how our society currently defines feminism and explains why this definition does not encompass everybody that it should.
When thinking about feminism in today’s society we tend to direct our minds and thoughts to a more radical and powerful train of thought. Feminism has been going on for centuries, with two main ideologies at the forefront; liberal and cultural feminism. Someone who identifies as a liberal feminist is someone who believes that women and men are a like and equal in most respects and deserve equal roles and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). And cultural feminism is someone who identifies as someone who believes that men and women are fundamentally differently; you have different rights, role and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). The women’s rights movement can be understood and broken down into three “waves”.
I had never really thought about what it meant to be a feminist, it was just a role I had unquestionably assumed as I consider myself to be an advocate of women empowerment. After last week’s readings, I began to question what exactly does being a feminist entails, and why the label carries very different meanings and connotations to different people. There is a common misconception that feminists are radicals, seeking to be superior to men. This is rooted in the fact that women today do not face the same struggles as its predecessors; namely, the inability to vote, work, study, and own property, to name a few. It is true that I have more rights and privileges than women such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth,
Feminism is more than a word, more than an individual, and more than an identity. In the words of Tavi Gevinson, editor-in-chief of Rookie Mag, an online feminist magazine for teen girls, feminism is a discussion, a conversation, and a process. It’s not a set of rules and restrictions, and it’s certainly not an attack targeted on men, but it is a fight, and it’s a long one. Over time, various connotations surrounding the word “feminist” have developed to form an image of angry, misandrist, bra-burning women who shouldn’t be taken seriously as thinkers and agents of social change. A dismissal of feminism that I hear often seems to be that feminists are just looking for things to be angry about, seeking out reasons to complain so we feel
quarters in New York, September 2014. Emma Watson’s speech was careful delivery by using successfully emotions appeal in terminating all misconceptions of feminism. In her speech She defined the term as, “For the record, feminism by definition is: “The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.” Watson exhort that, she herself is a Feminist. As
It stems from the fact that their authors represent different stages of the women’s rights movement. While Ernestine L. Rose was one of the pioneer feminist activists, and in her speech she focused on the postulates of the first-wave feminist movement, namely the voting, marital and property rights for women, Shirley Chisholm, who delivered her speech in the 1960s, the period of second-wave feminism in the United States, put the stress on women’s situation in the job market. With the two previously mentioned speeches being mostly concerned with the American conditions, Hillary Clinton and Emma Watson proposed a more international, or even global outlook on the matters of gender inequality. It complies with the assumption formulated in the agenda of the third-wave feminism, informed by the post-colonial and post-structuralist thinking: nowadays, women’s rights movement is no longer confined to the Western world. Struggles of the women living in the Third World countries are recognized and included within the broader feminist framework, as they were included in the speeches of Clinton and
“The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men”(dictionary.com, online), is the dictionary definition of feminism. It doesn’t say anything about men hating, lunatics who only want world domination, and that is what Emma Watson promotes in her speech for the HeForShe campaign. Emma Watson’s speech on gender equality shows great technique, remarkable writing, and incredible motivation.
Emma Watson, best known as a leading actress in the Harry Potter series, gave a speech called “Gender equality is your issue too” at the United Nations headquarters in New York City during on September 20, 2014. Watson introduced the HeForShe campaign, which aims to support males taking part in ending gender inequality. Throughout the speech, Watson attempted to persuade the audience to join the campaign by appealing to emotions with examples of those who have been subject to the burdens of gender inequality – however, this speech could be considered problematic due to Watson’s lack of credibility and failure to include all groups of people in our society.
Feminism, what is it? And how does it affect our society today? Feminist Emma Watson’s moving speech ‘Gender equality is your issue to’ tells us feminism isn't just a thought, it’s a true problem. Feminism is a topic known to many, but rejected by most of society. Watson shows her audience true emotion (Pathos), dedication, and love throughout her speech. She gives a clear aspect of feminism, making her listeners engaged into the topic, wanting to know more (Logos). She invites others into her ideas to ensure that she does not stand alone in this feminist movement (Ethos). Emma Watson is a true feminist trying to make a difference, persuading the audience, pouring her heart out, and believing in the world to join her in her free community.
This speech shows core meaning of feminism, also, what is needed now. This core meaning is what we forget now. Feminism refers to the thought that aims for equal treatment between men and women. She pointed out men is also a victim of gender inequality. This is a different idea from other feminists. Her speech is not accepted for all countries. However, it is true that feminism also gender issue protects male and females’ human right. In my opinion, men and women should stand up and cooperate with together. We all have a responsibility for gender issues. We all have the power to change the world. Watson’s speech tells us what we need now. It’s time to stand up for the aim of gender
Emma Watson, best known as a leading actress in the Harry Potter series, gave a speech titled “Gender equality is your issue too” during a HeForShe campaign at the United Nations headquarters in New York City during on September 20, 2014, in attempt to raise awareness about gender inequality. Throughout the speech, Watson attempted to persuade the audience in joining the HeForShe campaign by providing examples of those who have been subject to the burdens of gender inequality – however, this speech could be considered problematic due to Watson’s lack of credibility and failure to include all types of people in our society.
Feminism is often seen as a negative word towards women, but it actually represents the gender inequality for both men and women. In 2014, Emma Watson, a twenty-four-year-old British actress, and the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador co-hosted a special event for the UN Women’s HeForShe campaign. Before Watson was a UN Women’s Ambassador, she was known as a strong activist for women’s rights. The importance of the HeForShe campaign, which is a united movement, to spread and inform the gender equality awareness for both men and women to the public. As a speaker, Watson comes across to her audience as credible also reliable because she is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, she also sends her message across by building a trust relationship with the
Last year in September Emma Watson, an UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, launched an new campaign called HeForShe to stop gender inequality. Emma’s speech became quite popular, as it shed light on the topic in a new understanding. In her speech Emma invited men to participate in the campaign as well. “Men—I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue too.” - stated Watson. What makes her speech different from other feminists, is involving both men and women in the issue, and capturing more people to participate. Also, young woman explained feminism in a new unique way. She mentioned couple times, that word “feminism” gone in the wrong root nowadays, and often associated with man-hating, which
To admit or to label oneself as a feminist is to accept a whirlwind of judgment from those around you. It is without a doubt that the word “Feminism” or “Feminist” turns heads, and not necessarily for the right reasons. Many have resorted to mocking, disagreeing, and/or hating Feminism without even having a good grasp of what it is. The stigmas that feminists face are that they are radical, extremist, liberal, lesbians who hate men, refuse to shave and enjoy burning bras (Lee).Conversely, feminists are principally advocates for social justice and equality as well as aim for the establishment of equally divided power between the sexes. It is obvious that many are unaware of and uneducated on the misogynistic injustices plaguing our world and the toxic environment we all live in- both women and men. Feminism is a positive concept that works to eliminate injustices between both sexes and to establish the value of women, thus should be treated as such a concept instead of being a forbidden idea.
Throughout the last century, women have had to fight to have the same opportunities as men. Women have had to earn the right to vote, the right to have a career, and the right to autonomy. However, these are all rights that men have simply been given, which is why today’s feminists work to promote equality. Despite these efforts, feminism is often misunderstood and is interpreted with a negative connotation. According to a study conducted by Precopio and Ramsey (2017), “feminism is commonly recognized as a movement driven to grant social, political, and economic equality to both women and men.” The participation of others besides women is crucial to the spread of equality among the genders. Furthermore, the stigma and negative feelings surrounding feminism must be reduced in order for the ideals of feminism to have a greater impact.