When Women Empowerment Isn’t “Cool” Anymore
Recently the Repeal the 19th hashtag has taken over the internet, causing an increased amount of misogyny and hate to spread. The supporters of this movement aim to repeal the 19th amendment, one that sparked the first few changes to have women be able to vote (it wasn’t until many decades after the 19th amendment that women of color were able to vote).
I’ve chosen to ignore these posts, but what’s most concerning is how backwards this movement is, considering how much of a struggle gender equality has and is today. Ignoring these signs hasn’t caused much change or progress for women. It got me thinking why there isn’t a trending hashtag for feminism.
I’ve found that feminism has gotten boring.
It’s gotten to be a chore for women.
It’s just not trendy.
I mean, to be fair, explaining to sexists why misogyny is bad is often tiresome and frustrating, and now I’ve seen women becoming complacent with the overbearing amount of ignorance.
Well, now that we are all stuck in quarantine, I wonder how I can be a good feminist who takes on an identity that just simply isn’t as “cool” anymore. Am I a bad feminist for not knowing how to voice my opinions without sounding too “aggressive”?
The short answer is no, but I definitely could be doing better at spreading my ideas.
So far, in the past few months, I’ve found building relationships with other women is especially hard, but after the increase in these discriminatory movements towards women, I’ve had an even harder time talking about this with my fellow female peers. It’s imperative that we spark a discussion on this with other women, because the more hate there is the more solidarity we need.
So, I’m going to ask the question: what happens when feminism isn’t “cool”? How do we inspire our peers to be feminists and connect with women?
Women Empowerment and Trends
I think it’s important to know that many people often are feminists and empower women through their upbringing and from learning.
When we are first exposed to strong, independent women we often project our own lives in them and this sets an example in young girls’ eyes. This is partly why women representation in higher ranking positions and in STEM is important.
Back when I was much younger I remember seeing my mom as a good example of a strong female, but even then things like Barbie, Snow White, or other “damsel in distress” archetypes in media was detrimental to my self esteem and many more girls who consumed the same media I did.
Recently, I remembered when I first watched Captain Marvel, and the entire time I was thinking “Where was this when I was a child?”
I grew up with limited female role models, and this has shaped my feminist journey so far. Especially when people shame you for standing up for what you believe in, it’s hard to inspire others let alone myself to push women to break the glass ceiling.
So, I’ve been focusing on 2 main things to help ignite more feminism in our average lives, even in quarantine:
- Promoting badass women on social media and learning/supporting content by women for women
- Supporting women you know by spending time with them and empowering them
I usually try to inspire others to be a boss lady by talking about books written by women, or talking about activists who are avid feminists. This largely has worked, especially in TKS Bossladies, a community where we voice our opinions and support each other with struggles and ideas we bring up.
We would talk about women to follow on social media, books to read to help empower us, activists and organizations that support uniquely female struggles, and much more. This brought together our community more than I ever thought it would.
Now that I know what to discuss and how I can support others, I was left with the question on how I can build meaningful relationships with other women.
Relationships and How to be a Good Feminist Friend
Ever since I was in elementary school I always struggled with making good friends, let alone friends with other girls.
I think the main reason I struggled with this is that I never really knew what feminism was and constantly felt the need to work hard academically while ignoring the pressing concerns of social interactions and relationships.
Being a good friend is something I’ve constantly been working on, but having communication between a community of women, especially in male-dominated fields, is mandatory to have gender equality.
For example, in TKS Bossladies I’ve met many of my lifelong friends through discussions about feminists and topics like birth control or the pink tax.
But what’s been especially hard is connecting with peers I don’t entirely know, and that’s where I want to work especially hard in creating a community. Even with just acquaintances, having a strong community that works towards solidarity between girls is amazing and something I wish I had when I was much younger.
In a time where period products are taxed to those who need them, when abortions are harshly restricted, when women have only just now been talking about sexual assault, women solidarity is especially important, and that is why I urge us to push for more feminism, even in our day to day lives.
Making relationships are hard, but with a strong community with strong solidarity, there will be more progress and a community for young girls to learn from. In a world of Snow Whites, Barbies, and general push back, having a community that uplifts and empowers is a priceless resource that I hope all girls will have.
Just because some things aren’t as easy anymore doesn’t mean they will get easier. That’s why being a feminist is just as important than ever.
Takeaways and Action Items
- Uplift and promote feminism in your day to day life!
- Try to make a community for others to reach out to. Power in numbers!
- Having more women representation in media is important because it means other girls can do it too
- Relationships are hard, but even just getting to know other women is important for a strong community
- Promote content by women for women
