The Bravery of Feminists Sacrificing for Greater Feminism
Feminism is no stranger to criticism and attack, but lately, feminism has been attacked by self-proclaimed feminists. Some are claiming that they feel feminism isn’t in their personal best interest despite still being in the best interest of society as a whole. These sentiments have given rise to “anti-feminism” and “postfeminism” as the newest enemies of feminism. The reasons for some self-proclaimed feminists entertaining anti-feminism and postfeminism as potential pivots indicate double standards in expectations and cognitive dissonance on the pros and cons of equity. For example, they complain of a decline in chivalry; people don’t hold doors open for others, expect others to go fifty-fifty on finances, and decline to help others in need.
Some fail to realize that the fight for any cause comes with some sacrifices, but without those sacrifices, victory is impossible. A darker side of equity is an absence of preferential treatment, but it’s a small sacrifice for some feminists to make for the good of feminism. Feminism is more than just a single feminist’s comfort and happiness; it’s about feminism as a collective. It may be selfish to complain about the individual experiences of being a feminist without recognizing the macro-level benefits experienced by feminism as a collective. An individual feminist’s sacrifice is integral to the continuation of one of the most important movements in history: greater feminism.
Postfeminism is defined as a societal perception that the goals of feminism have already been achieved, thus now making it obsolete. Postfeminism is widely seen as a backlash to feminism, claiming to be a natural evolution of feminism. This claim is loosely supported by the steady decline in support of feminism since 1980, which has given rise to anti-feminism. Anti-feminism is defined as an outright opposition to feminism, a sentiment that is increasing among younger populations. They claim that feminism is exclusionary in nature and does not focus on holistic human equity.
One popular social space where anti-feminism and postfeminism have appeared is in the workplace. Social media has recently experienced an influx of self-proclaimed feminists complaining about having to work full-time jobs for five decades, wishing instead that there would be someone to take care of them. How would the founders of feminism feel about these modern-day feminists denigrating the very opportunities that they’ve fought so hard for? We used to be proud of having the opportunity to join the workforce and contribute to society and the economy.
Another social space where anti-feminism and postfeminism have appeared is in romance. Some self-proclaimed feminists are complaining that their partners are not “financially attractive” or “economically viable” in comparison to themselves. The cognitive dissonance of fighting for equity only to be attracted to inequity may need to be called out and addressed through therapy and re-education. We should be proud of equitable relationships where partners are of equal height, income, and status. Otherwise, we can’t truly call ourselves equitable feminists because selective equity is not equity at all. The fight for equity in wages, power, and status comes with equity in child custody determination and selective service registration.
Some self-proclaimed feminists want to be seen as strong and independent without seeking opportunities to build strength and independence. Social media has also experienced an influx of influencers wishing to live in their “soft era,” overlooking the fact that doing so contradicts strength and independence. We must not forget that strength is built through overcoming progressing levels of hardship, and independence is built through self-reliance in solitude. We cannot be strong if we opt to travel the path of least resistance, overcoming the fewest obstacles. We cannot be independent if we always have a fallback option, a failsafe that bails us out anytime we’re in need. Enduring hardship builds the strength and independence necessary to develop character, and some seem to have little desire to build character.
Being independent means having the courage to face the potential of being a feminist sacrificed for greater feminism. Bravery is a prerequisite to independence; greater feminism understands this, even if some individual feminists do not. Being strong means staying strong through the trials and tribulations at the individual level for the benefit of the greater good. Being strong means we think about more than our comfort and happiness, sometimes calling for individual feminists to sacrifice for the good of greater feminism. Much like some soldiers sacrifice for the greater good, some feminists may be called upon to sacrifice for greater feminism.
