This is when I realized that coming up with a quick and easy to understand definition of feminism is not that easy. Do I start with the history, explain the suffrage movement, and how much the feminist movement has evolved since then? Do I begin ranting on the under representation of women in politics? Or do I hit them where it hurts, and explain how pop music, " The Real Housewives of (enter major city her)" is actually hurting their gender. I believe, strongly, that to notify our youth of modern women issues, that we must some how find away to infiltrate the media outlet. Whether it be a public service announcement, or getting highly prominent figures in feminism on major news networks. There is so much that we can, and must do in order to actually do something. I do not mean to sound pessimistic about the feminist movement, but my main problem is how do we reach those who actually need our help. That is where we need to put all our energy, into those who, like my sister and cousin, do not even know what a feminist is. We do a lot to educate ourselves on feminist issues, that is the first step, but it is now time to take the second step and engage those who need it most. Send a letter to a major news network, plan an assembly at your school that everyone is required to attend, create a public service announcement and put it on the morning announcements, educate the people who really matter, not people who already call themselves feminist.
02 January 2011
Becoming Active by Maxine
The other day I was sitting at the table talking with my younger sister (age 14) and my little cousin (age 11). After recently aiding in the start of a feminist group at my high school I am often subject to random interrogations from my family about how my group remains active. When I began to explain my groups cause, both of my younger relatives turned to me, with the same disgruntled look on their face and asked a question that was surprisingly difficult to answer. "What is a feminism". I sat there, shocked, angry, and finally incredibly depressed. I have had the tenacity to call myself an active teenage feminist, yet two of the young women closest to me are completely unaware of our campaign.
This is when I realized that coming up with a quick and easy to understand definition of feminism is not that easy. Do I start with the history, explain the suffrage movement, and how much the feminist movement has evolved since then? Do I begin ranting on the under representation of women in politics? Or do I hit them where it hurts, and explain how pop music, " The Real Housewives of (enter major city her)" is actually hurting their gender. I believe, strongly, that to notify our youth of modern women issues, that we must some how find away to infiltrate the media outlet. Whether it be a public service announcement, or getting highly prominent figures in feminism on major news networks. There is so much that we can, and must do in order to actually do something. I do not mean to sound pessimistic about the feminist movement, but my main problem is how do we reach those who actually need our help. That is where we need to put all our energy, into those who, like my sister and cousin, do not even know what a feminist is. We do a lot to educate ourselves on feminist issues, that is the first step, but it is now time to take the second step and engage those who need it most. Send a letter to a major news network, plan an assembly at your school that everyone is required to attend, create a public service announcement and put it on the morning announcements, educate the people who really matter, not people who already call themselves feminist.
This is when I realized that coming up with a quick and easy to understand definition of feminism is not that easy. Do I start with the history, explain the suffrage movement, and how much the feminist movement has evolved since then? Do I begin ranting on the under representation of women in politics? Or do I hit them where it hurts, and explain how pop music, " The Real Housewives of (enter major city her)" is actually hurting their gender. I believe, strongly, that to notify our youth of modern women issues, that we must some how find away to infiltrate the media outlet. Whether it be a public service announcement, or getting highly prominent figures in feminism on major news networks. There is so much that we can, and must do in order to actually do something. I do not mean to sound pessimistic about the feminist movement, but my main problem is how do we reach those who actually need our help. That is where we need to put all our energy, into those who, like my sister and cousin, do not even know what a feminist is. We do a lot to educate ourselves on feminist issues, that is the first step, but it is now time to take the second step and engage those who need it most. Send a letter to a major news network, plan an assembly at your school that everyone is required to attend, create a public service announcement and put it on the morning announcements, educate the people who really matter, not people who already call themselves feminist.
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