What feminism really is

What is feminism?

A few weeks ago I was having dinner with a few of my friends and somehow the topic of Greek life came up. We spoke about the idea that there is a stereotypical view about fraternities and sororities, which surprised me considering the fact that the majority of community involvement is constituted by Greek life. As the conversation continued, a friend of mine started talking about these so-called “slut walls” that a fraternity had and how some girls were taking pictures under it as if it were something to celebrate. I took his perspective into account until he said, “Yeah, I don’t understand girls who take pictures under these walls and then turn around and call themselves feminists.”

Up until that point, I thought I was having a conversation with a friend who was not ignorant. But like many others, he did not know what the true definition of feminism is. I exchanged a look with my other friend, a look that spoke a thousand words. I then launched into a lecture about how Feminism at its most basic form was about equality between the genders and that being a “slut” as he put it has nothing to do with Feminism.

Although this was just an incident that happened at a harmless dinner, it stuck to me for a while because it opened my eyes to fact that i was unaware of: that there are so many people, both male and female, who don’t know what a feminist is because their ideas are influenced by the media. When the topic of feminism is brought up, too many people try to relate it with “man-hating,” which was introduced to take away from the legitimacy of the women’s rights’ movement. What most people don’t understand is that feminism isn’t just about women’s equality, it’s about equality between all genders. Along with acquiring a negative connotation to its name,  there is also the fact that most people think that feminism isn’t necessary. They claim that “women already have equal rights,” yet the Equal Pay Act was recently shot down in Congress. If women already have all of their rights as human beings, then why is it that they can’t get equal pay? Surely that is a right that they deserve, is it not?

Bringing the “slut” factor back into this, I also believe that the word itself is socially constructed because society has decided that if a woman embraces her sexuality then she is going against the definition of what a woman should be. In society’s eyes, a woman’s worth can only be shown through being a mother, a caregiver, a wife, a nurturer, etc. In recent years, many people have taken up a certain saying to define the cons of a woman. A lot of people in recent years have started to use a quote to define why women should not be promiscuous. This saying states, “A key that can open many locks is called a master key, but a lock that can be opened by many keys is a shitty lock.” This is a metaphor that a lot of people refer to when stating their argument about “sluts” and I wonder why this can’t be flipped. Who says that this was meant to say that women are the lock and men are the key? In unbiased eyes, this could easily mean that men are the lock and women are the key. It is not my intention to say that men are “sluts,” but I use this example to prove that this argument is invalid. It is scientifically proven that both men and women have needs and with this progressive era those needs have a way of being met for both genders. To frown upon a female’s sexual activity and to celebrate a male’s seems quite hypocritical to me.

Feminism is so many things and to relate it to being a “slut” undermines the whole movement. Before protesting or belittling its significance, people of all ages, gender, and race should do research and learn that this is not about man hating — it is about human equality.