Madison Rathburn

September 28, 2015

UWRT 1102

The Other F-Word

I debated for several days on whether or not to write this paper about a feminist question.
The possibility of unapproving looks from my peers, judgment from my professor, and the fear
of being negatively labeled as a man hater all crossed my mind. In fact, when I googled Why
are feminists the top results were ugly, fat and ugly, so mean, and so angry. These fears,
however, are precisely what drove me to write about and research feminism. When did
feminism become a bad word? When did the label feminist translate to mean an angry, braburning, hairy, masculine woman who cant find a husband? When did society begin to view
these supporters of equality as advocators for a matriarchy fueled by a hatred for men?
In order to understand the misconceptions of feminism you need to know what feminism
actually is and how it started. Feminism as explained by Martha Rampton, professor of history
and director of the Center for Gender Equity at Pacific University, can be seen throughout history
in four distinct waves. The first wave formally began at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848
when three hundred men and women rallied together for womens equality. First wave feminism,
however, primarily consisted of white, middle class, cisgender, women. The movement focused
on pressing issues such as womens right to vote and their right to be active in politics. Women in

this wave also stood up against the cult of domesticity as they demonstrated "un-ladylike"
behavior such as public speaking, protesting, and stints in jail. (Rampton)
Second wave feminism came in the 1960s and continued into the 90s and quickly drew
in many women of color. As the focus shifted from womans suffrage to matters such as sexuality
and reproductive rights the movement became increasingly radical. This group focused heavily
on passing the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing social equality
regardless of sex. Second wave feminists are who many refer to as the bra-burners even
though there were no bras actually burned during their demonstrations (Kreydatus). This phase
of feminism brought forth public outcry against beauty pageants when they protested against
what they saw to be a degrading "cattle parade" that reduced women to objects of beauty
dominated by a patriarchy that sought to keep them in the home or in dull, low-paying jobs. The
nickname bra burners originates from when the rallies threw oppressive feminine artifacts
such as high heels, bras, girdles, and make up into trashcans. Second wave feminists were not
only increasingly radical but increasingly theoretical, they began to make connections between
the subjugation of women to much broader topics such as patriarchy, capitalism, normative
heterosexuality, and the woman's role as wife and mother. Second wave feminism is closely
related to modern day feminism in the sense that they wanted a complete eradication of sexism,
from childrens toys and cartoons up to the highest branches of government. (Rampton)
The mid-90s brought forth third wave feminism, also known as girlie feminism. This
group unashamedly bares the high heels, cleavage, and lip stick that first wave feminists
banished. Originally thought of as oppressive objects, third wave feminists celebrate femininity
and the womans choice of how she displays her body. The popularity of the internet helped
spread this phases attitude of you can have a push-up bra and a brain at the same time. Third

wave feminists rebranded words such as bitch and slut in attempt to rid society of their
negative connotation. This group strives to break down social constructs of not only gender but
of identity, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and many other controversial topics. They encourage
celebrating diversity as being open and fluid instead of being structured by roles assigned to us at
birth (Rampton).
There is a new phase of feminism on the horizon and it is being described as a call for
gender equality for all. The generation now coming of age realizes not only the issues women are
faced with but they see the major problems caused by the way we as a society genders ourselves.
New-age feminists worry the label feminist may seem exclusive to men although they are
interested now more than ever with educating about how gender roles negatively affect the male
population. This new arising group is also experiencing backlash associated with the radical
beginnings of feminism as they struggle to keep the label feminism clean (Rampton).
There are many different forms of feminism but all forms tend to agree on a set of a few
basic rules. The first being that women and men should be equal before the law and valued
equally by society. Feminism, as defined by Merrium-Webster dictionary is the theory of the
political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. This definition in itself disproves most of
the lies society and social media spread about supporters of this cause. Feminism at its roots
exists solely to promote womens rights and to raise awareness of their inequality. At no point in
history, from womans suffrage to what we know now as modern-day feminism has the feminist
agenda been to rise above men and create a society that oppresses the male population. However,
the idea that feminism is bad for men still manages to creep throughout society like an
intrusive weed. In fact, this idea that feminism is oppressing men has sparked a new (and quickly

growing movement) called meninism. Although the word is very obviously derived from its
female counterpart, it is not a movement driven by equality.
Meninism originated on twitter when Ti Balogun created a feed of #Meninism tweets
which quickly grew in popularity and gained a serious following. These tweets were originally
described as men sharing jokes to express the difficulties of being a man in the 21st
century(Daubney). However, it quickly turned sour when the tweets became anti-woman, many
tweets showing violence and hatred towards women. Jokes about pushing pregnant women down
stairs and calling it Plan C spread throughout twitter as #INeedMeninismBecause and
#Meninism started trending on twitter. Followers say that meninism is actually the belief in the
equality of the sexes. I google image searched #meninism and on the first page only I found an
image of a man punching a girl in the face labeled How to fight like a man #meninist and a
separate image with #ANTIFEMINIST #PATRIARCHALIST #DENIALIST displayed in bold
letters. In fact it seems that this movement that could be extremely useful and bring forth a lot of
positive change has turned from playful jokes to being very obviously anti-feminist. In fact one
very popular tweet from the original #meninist site reads How many feminists does it take to
change a light bulb? None, they cant change anything. Unfortunately, meninism could have
been used to raise awareness to the many problems facing men in our society today. Violence
against men, suppression of emotions, inequality in prison time length, and male suicide are just
a few topics that need to be addressed. I wish #meninism had created a strong and powerful
following that could have come together with feminists to promote equality of the sexes for the
future. It seems, however, that the only statement I saw in my research that I agree with is
#INeedMeninismBecause misogynist is too hard to spell.

Five Ways That Feminism Has Ruined America from Phyllis Schlafly
1. It hurt marriage. Women want to wait so that they can keep their identities longer and men are
finding easy sex, taking away a big reason for marriage.
2. Undermines child rearing. More kids are in childcare where discipline is lax resulting in a
"epidemic" of bad kids, childhood obesity, and bullies.
3. Two-income trap. With both husband and wife working it's hard to live without life's luxuries.
4. Undermines college sports. Title IX has ended many male-only sports at some colleges
5. Emasculates men. It's better to be a wuss than speak up or mouth off and face charges of
harassment or chauvinism. (Bedard)
This is a list comprised of some of the reasons of how Phyllis Schlafly, the anti-feminist
famous for her successful campaign against the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, says
feminism is ruining modern-day America. In many interviews Phyllis goes on to say that
feminism has sabotaged womens happiness. In her opinion this movement has hurt society by
flipping male-female roles around, she claims more men are seeking love while women are
seeking independence (Bedard). Neither of which I can see the problem in.
In an interview Schlafly spoke about her opinions on feminism effect on sex: "More and
more wives today say they're too tired for sex. ...Naturally, this poses a problem for husbands,
who are rarely too tired for sex. Sex is a man's favorite past time, and the wives who are too tired
to have it are often resentful of this fact. If change is going to come, it will have to come from
womenthey are the ones who changed the natural order of things. Moreover, men aren't the
ones who kvetch about their place in the worldnot because they have it so great, contrary to

feminist dogma, but because it's not in their nature. Men tend to go along with whatever women
say they need." (Bedard). Not only is she blaming women for mans unhappiness in marriage but
she speaks about men like they are dogs who blindly follow women with no personal direction,
contrary to her belief that men should have the pedestal in society.
Last time I checked it was okay for women to want to be independent, have a career, or
play sports. In fact it should be a womens basic human rights to be able to participate and strive
in these areas of life without scrutiny. Why is it that women are being put down and judged for
being successful in areas that men are most often congratulated in? Why is it that we care if a
man is emasculated because he has to shut his mouth but we dont worry about the womans
sense of security or worth when men are catcalling at them? Why is it assumed that it is the
mothers duty to leave work and care for the child, and if she doesnt why does it become her
fault that the children are sent to daycare? Why isnt childcare viewed as an equal partnership,
like it should be?
The second widely agreed on feminist ideal is that there are changes in the law and in
society need to be made to ensure a better life for women. However, this cannot happen when
women are being so heavily underrepresented in governments all over the world. Rwanda is the
only government out of over 200 countries globally that is dominated by women, having 55
percent of their parliament comprised of women. The Unites States falls short, currently having
only 17 percent of seats in congress being held by women. Only 11 countries have elected a
woman as head of state, of course, the U.S. is not among those nations. (UN Women)
The third common agreement is that violence and repression against women worldwide
needs to end. Unfortunately, I could write an entire paper focusing only on this section. The
statistics on violence against women are both plentiful and horrifying. One in every five women

has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape. Every nine seconds a woman is assaulted
or beaten. One in three women have been victims of physical violence by an intimate partner. 83
percent of girls in the United States ages twelve to sixteen have experienced sexual harassment
in public school (Bates). I could continue this list for pages. If there was no other reason for me
being a feminist, standing up against violence against women would be it.
The final agreement is that women need to support each other's decisions and cultural
differences, and stand together as sisters. Zena Agna, a self-proclaimed Islam Feminist who gave
a TED talk about her experiences with the Islam culture and her feminist beliefs said, The best
way to unknit patriarchy once and for all is to inspire other women so that they walk straight and
with their shoulders squared. How are we supposed to inspire each other in the name of
feminism if feminists are being slandered? How will we inspire young girls to stand up for
themselves and their rights if the celebrities that they look up to continue to spread
misconceptions about feminism? Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, and Lady Gaga have
all openly said that they are not feminists. By saying that you are literally agreeing that you and
all women shouldnt be equal to men. This is not only astounding but it is truly disappointing.
When actress Shailene Woodley was asked if she was a feminist she said, No because I love
men, and I think the idea of raise women to power, take the men away from the power is never
going to work out because you need balance. The heavy influence these a-list celebrities have
on the media help spread misconceptions about feminism. The first and only female Prime
Minister of Britain, Margret Thratcher, who should be a raging feminist who helps to use her
position to inspire women openly says, The battle for womens rights has largely been won. The
days when they were demanded and discussed in strident tones should be gone forever. How
can she say that when out of the 73 past prime ministers only one of them has been female?

Now that you know what feminism is, I want to tell you what feminism is not. Feminism
is not the belief that women are superior to men. Feminism is not the hatred of men. Feminism is
not ignoring male oppression. It does not say that you cant be a housewife or a stay at home
mother. It does not exclude women who are feminine, women who are of color, or women who
are non-cisgender. It does not promote matriarchy but strives to level the playing field so that
everyone can enjoy life as equals. It is simply the belief that men and women should be socially,
politically, and economically equal.
I am a proud fourth wave feminist. I believe that feminism is not dead, in fact it is alive
and growing. It is glowing with the new life of our next generation. Our constant connection to
the world through media, the internet, and our phones has given us a broader worldview and has
created a generation more open-minded than any before us. We are bringing with us a force for
equality for the LGBT community, for all races, and for all genders and identities.

Works Cited
Rampton, Martha. "Four Waves of Feminism." <i>Four Waves of Feminism</i>. Pacific
University Oregan, 25 Oct. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.
Bates, Laura. "Everyday Sexism: Laura Bates at TEDxCoventGardenWomen."
<i>Youtube</i>. Tedx Talks, 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.
Dottolo, A. L. ""I'm Not a Feminist, But...": Introducing Feminism in Psychology of
Women Courses." Psychology of Women Quarterly 35.4 (2011): 632-35. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Potty-Mouthed Princesses Drop F-Bombs for Feminism. Youtube. FCKH8, 21 Oct. 2014.
Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Potty-Mouth Princesses Part 2: Girls F-Bomb Domestic Violence. Youtube. FCKH8, 24
Nov. 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
We Should All Be Feminists. Perf. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Youtube. Tedx Talks, 12
Apr. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
Daubney, Martin. "Will 2015 Be the Year of Meninism?" <i>The Telegraph</i> 29 Dec.
2014: n. pag. Print.
Kreydatus, Beth. "Confronting The "Bra-Burners:" Teaching Radical Feminism With A
Case Study." History Teacher 41.4 (2008): 489-504. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9
Nov. 2015.
Bedard, Paul. "5 Ways Feminism Has Ruined America." <i>U.S. News</i>. U.S. News, 4
Mar. 2011. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.