Feminism, The Newest Trend

http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/9/emma-watson-gender-equality-is-your-issue-too

On September 20^th, 2014 Emma Watson gave a speech at the UN, and launched the campaign “HeForShe”. This speech garnered a lot of media attention and the campaign is already proving successful in changing the stigma on the word “feminism”. The campaigns main focus is gathering support from men to end gender inequality and to end the stigma on the word “feminism”.  Feminism has now, in a way, become “trendy”. This is a strange thought to some because the ideas behind feminism are simple and in no way “trendy”, but the media’s reaction to Emma Watson’s speech have proved such notion. The support that the campaign is garnering is wonderful and a definite step in the right direction, but it does leave some questions as to whether people are picking up the true message and will actively abide by it.

Personally, I identify as a feminist, and I always have. My entire life I’ve been surrounded by powerful women who were extremely successful both professionally and personally. There has never been a disconnect between being taken seriously and maintaining ones sense of stereotypical femininity. But, I have never stated that I am a feminist without receiving some backlash. This word has somehow developed a strong negative connation to it, with women and men alike subscribing to the “humanist” movement that has the same belief system of feminism. The idea of feminism is inherently simple; it’s the belief that women have the right to the political, social, and economic equality to men. Living in a world where everyone subscribed to feminism would be ideal, but it is certainly not a reality.

The idea behind the political philosophy of feminism is very idealistic, and almost too good to be true. In a world where every state views one another with the same amount of respect can garner ease of trade and intellectual growth. With feminism comes more natural cooperation between states and a higher level of tolerance between cultural norms. Cooperation is one of the key points in feminism because it comes from a non self-interest standpoint. Most states will cooperate with one another if it will benefit their own state in the long run, but in a feminist world states cooperate for the sake of cooperation.

            The practice of feminism is almost entirely similar to constructivism. This lead myself to come to the conclusion that the we are living in a very large gender gap that an entire “new” way of thinking must be brought about to include women in a philosophy that more or less promotes the same ideals. This is not to say that feminism is a copy cat, but to draw attention to two ways of political philosophy that say the same thing-but one includes women. This is the main point of feminism that an entire new philosophy had to be created just to include the other sex. States are typically gender as female, similar to boats or cars, but when they are actively making choices in the global community they suddenly are seen as more masculine identities.

            The only downfall of feminism is that it’s similarities to constructivism can be viewed as unoriginal. But that is it’s main strength, while including women in the political realm, this idealistic way of thinking could be put into practice. Feminism is not new, or trendy. It is a belief system that has been in place long before Cleopatra.