Dearest Anti-Feminists,
I’d like to directly start by asking why you’ve chosen to identify as an “anti-feminist.” Surely, you didn’t just wake up one day and decide you were against feminists and feminism, so what led to this? Was it because of the way it is perceived as just trying to get women “on top”? Feminism is equality of genders, and right now that means making others aware of women’s issues, unjust inferiority, and how powerful they are. I don’t understand why you’re not okay with changing things from the way they’ve always been if it’s not all okay. Currently, women are only 18.5% of Congress, yet every law applies to them too, so why is there such an unequalized balance? Women make up less than a quarter of the people working in STEAM careers, but they are just as capable at any of these paths, I’m just wondering why the misrepresentation.
Others identify as anti feminist through their belief that it is “tyrannical” because it “dismisses women who don’t identify as feminist.” Feminism is for all genders, so really, anyone who doesn’t identify as a feminist doesn’t identify as a believer of equality for all genders, and the simple question there would be, “Why?” But that’s a different letter to those who identify as neither anti or for feminism. Malala Yousafzai once said, “We cannot succeed if half of us are held back.” By this, I think she’s saying that although we’re always talking about a better future, and all things better for everyone, a large population of us is limited and closed off. We talk about beneficial things in time to come, and good change, but the truth is women are still restrained, so where are we headed?
The last conclusion I came to while thinking about why people would be anti-feminist happened while I was reading a wonderful piece, beautifully titled “Why I’m Not A Feminist” on Spiked magazine. The part that really struck out the most, and am now sharing with you, read, “Finally, contemporary feminists do not believe that women are independent, free-thinking individuals. Feminists promote a cliquey, sisterhood mentality, but not through a collective and positive sharing of ideas. They’re the kind of group you’d encounter at school who would shun you if you weren’t wearing the right kind of hairband. Today’s feminism is opposed to criticism and nuance, refusing to allow women to form their own opinions or challenge preconceived ideas.” If contemporary feminism really doesn’t believe women are independent, free-thinking individuals, what am I doing, writing this letter alone at night without consulting anyone, never mind another feminist during my writing process. Feminism lets women share their ways of thinking, with no importance or relation as to how different it may be from others’. Feminism is a garden, where everyone brings their own seeds, and together they grow as individuals into roses, sunflowers, cacti, lilies, orchids, any and everything. Second, feminism is inclusive, non-discriminatory, and accepting, so I don’t see why it would be boxed into this idea of being a “cliquey sisterhood mentality.” The author writes about feminism being such a negative, closed minded community. The feminism I know is the complete opposite. Feminism spreads happiness and the inclusion of all things positive.
Feminism’s garden has no limits to your growth, and no constraints. Just to close off this letter, I want to share that feminism has helped me open up about social justice, things I notice in the world, and myself overall. I’ve grown to learn that I should proceed with no self-doubt while speaking about what matters to me.
All the love,
Another feminist.
