My APUSH Class: The Empowerment Of Women

How does one identify as a feminist? Chances are, many might not understand what the term or group that is based around it truly means due to the obscurity it has faced throughout its growing popularity in recent years. Social issues in the United States are increasing in importance, especially with various groups of people feeling underrepresented in their country that stresses the greatness of the freedom and rights promised to its people. The issues with the feminist movement have always felt pressing and proved to have a large impact in a society that is striving to reach their goals no matter the cost. Sadly, their perseverance results in a loss of credibility, misandrist ideals, and struggle to differentiate from their radical counterparts.

I am not a repressed housewife. I am not a sweet dormouse that fears making waves. I am a millennial, and I am loud. I am a person who believes in America, and its policy of justice for all. Feminism is a huge aspect of our society. It's hard to scroll through social media without seeing a post about infringement on women's rights. I've never considered myself to be a feminist, and I still don't. However, one incident changed the way that I looked at the world, and how safe I felt within it. This incident showed me who I want to be in the world. My mom and I had just stopped at a Hardee's not too far from my small hometown. We were returning from a college tour downstate, and were starving by the time we reached Manistique. We could smell

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”

The Merriam-Webster definition of feminism is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” In the past century, gender roles have been challenged because of feminism. The very idea has completely flipped households, workplaces, and the general community and changed it for the better. A plethora of women’s movements were initiated in the 1960’s, and it gave people a look at how powerful women are when we stand united. Feminism has gained many followers in the past thirty to forty years as more people are becoming aware of conflicts pertaining to discrimination. However, there are many that were hesitant both in the 1960’s and in the present day, but for very different reasons. Nevertheless, persistence seems to be a beacon in women’s rights movements, thanks to very strong and level-headed role models.

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.

As I grew up I never realized that I was growing up in a family with very feministic views. Growing up I knew my grandmother ruled her house and the women in my family tended to make most of the choices. I never realized that this was so different than others until I started seeing other people’s family structure and the different topics in feminism. So as a child even though I was not raised with the word feminism in my vocabulary but I was getting the base of my feministic outlook on life now.

word in a positive way, and think of it as a woman standing up for her gender’s rights. Other people can think of it in a negative way, as a woman who is too high strung and opinionated. The word feminist is actually a female who has opinions on the way her sex is treated. Modern feminism will be discussed, along with using some examples such as Susan B. Anthony.

It 's unfortunate that when some people hear the term feminism, they automatically place that as a negative word and it becomes something they don 't want to be associated with. It is unfortunate that people will try to avoid it however, people will still embrace the feminist politics. As feminist scholar Susan A. Mann (2012) describes, when people refuse to identify as a feminist they create the "I 'm-not-a feminist-but" syndrome. This refers to when people understand the importance of struggles with gender issues, such that include the wage gap or domestic violence, but they will still reject the notion that it may actually mean they are a feminist if they are fighting for that cause. Feminism has a simple definition, it means that women seek gender equality through political, social, and economic gain.

The definition of “Feminism” is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men, or in other words, “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people too,” (Cheris Kramarae).Women have gone through periods of worship, to periods of worthlessness, to somewhere in between. Women, a vital component to humanity, are starting to be valued again.

Sadly, the use of the word feminist had tended to bring a bitter taste in the mouth and mind in the past, however, our modern-day culture has managed to bring the true meaning of feminism to light, and

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

Later, in high school, I met my significant other. She grew up in a family of engaged feminists. One day she asked me whether I considered myself feminist. At this point, I had never thought much of it, so I said “No.” She taught me exactly what it meant to be feminist, not the man-hating, hateful person, but the caring, thoughtful person who stands up for equality amongst sexes, genders, and races. After that, I have always considered myself a feminist. Earlier this year I decided to take the Introduction to Women’s Gender and Ethnic studies class during my first semester of college.

“‘Feminism’ is an umbrella term for a range of views about injustices against women”(Fisanick). Many people are not educated about what feminism really is. People automatically think just by hearing the word that it is something women created against men, not true. A feminist is anybody who wants equality between men and women. “Being a feminist has nothing to do with how you look, what you wear, who you date. Being a feminist doesn’t mean you think women deserve special rights; it means you know we deserve equal ones” (Cavanagh). Everyone should educate themselves and advocate feminism to help spread equality, get people equal pay and stop stereotypes against men and

Growing up, feminist was not a word that was casually tossed about. It didn’t need to be. My mother, although she was a stay at home mom, spent most of the time outside doing yard work and repairing machinery. Furthermore, when my older sister began expressing “more liberal” opinions, my father started joking about how she was becoming