It’s being screamed from the mountain tops, tweeted, discussed on talk shows and shown glimmering behind Beyonce on her concert tour. “Feminist” seems to be the word uttered by many this past year. This topic is being discussed so much, in fact, that TIME magazine has put it on par with “bae” and “I can’t even” in its online poll of “What Word Should be Banned in 2015?”
In the words of TIME, the word "feminist" earned a spot on the list because of the constant media coverage it has acquired, “You have nothing against feminism itself, but when did it become a thing that every celebrity had to state their position on whether this word applies to them, like some politician declaring a party?” Maybe it became a thing that celebrities had to discuss so feminism can finally get some sort of attention, instead of being low in ranking — just like a woman’s level of pay.
It’s true. Everyone is talking about feminism. It’s all over the web and all over talk shows. However, we hear this topic come up constantly and much of society still doesn’t acknowledge its true meaning. The fact that this important topic is deemed irrelevant and annoying to talk about is what truly raises concern.
Sure, there are suspicions that it was put on the list through the magic of 4Chan and Internet trolling, but it doesn’t matter how it got on the list. The real issue is there are men and women who saw feminism on par with “obvi” and thought, “Thank you TIME for attempting to keep these crazy, man-hating, feminists quiet. I’m so sick of hearing about it.”
That’s the issue. After all this time, after all this celebrity hoopla, there are still people misunderstanding the true meaning of feminism. Even Shailene Woodley said she wasn't a feminist because she “doesn't hate men.” The entire movement has been made into a joke, as showcased in the endless stream of #meninist tweets on Twitter.
Many others have caught onto what the true meaning of feminism is, which is simply the advocacy of equality for both genders. Joseph Gordon-Levitt made a video declaring himself a feminist. He says what a true feminist is, and that men and women are still not equal in today's age. He concludes with, “I think it's a really great thing for us all to be talking about.”
To name yet another from the long list of celebrities, Emma Watson gave her inspiring U.N. speech for HeForShe. She received much praise for this speech, and the campaign has done well with a significant amount of men signing up on their website. Yet, we still don’t all know what feminism truly is.
Feminism may be one of the major topics of this past year, but it has earned this label because there needs to be a change. The fact that we are annoyed by the talk surrounding this is exactly why it still needs to be discussed. There are still people labeling feminists as “man haters,” and until that stops, the speeches, declarations and surge of media attention should continue.
Reach the columnist at dpharias@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @_Desirayray
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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