Sunday, February 13, 2011

Feminism

Not only has it been too long since I've posted on this blog, last night I had a really interesting moment among some friends with regards to gender studies in today's society.  Not to go too much into the conversation we had at hand, it regarded the definition of a feminist.  What does it mean to be a feminist?  Does feminism still exist, or is it now considered to be humanist?  Guaranteed we were all voicing the same opinions regarding things, but it got me thinking of how other people think about feminism.

As many of you know, I am a very vocal and proud feminist.  I state the fact that I am feminist quite often (at least once a day).  People may think I am strange for doing so, but that only increases my need to say it more.  Others can be perplexed by it.
"What does that mean?"
"Is she a lesbian?"
"Does she only listen to Alanis Morissette and Ani DiFranco?"
"Oh, she's one of those..."
"I thought we moved past feminism."

Some women (yeah women) even hate the term "feminist" because of all that it stands for.  It has received a bad reputation over the years, and they simply don't believe it relates to them anymore just because they went to one bad gender studies class in college that was basically a history class regarding the feminist movement.  HOW DOES THAT NOT RELATE TO YOU THOUGH?!?  Okay, got that out of my system.

It (without a doubt) relates to us, and is still quite relevant in out society today.  Now I don't want to go on a rant (because I did that last night, and I don't think it's the best way to go about things).  I'm not trying to force my opinions on anyone else (while it may seem like that at times).  Just think Liz Lemon.  An example that comes to mind is the episode where Jenna gained a lot of weight after doing "Mystic Pizza The Musical" and Lemon wanted to take a stand against America's obsession with beauty and looks.  Jenna became frustrated with Lemon because she didn't want to be curvy to make a point, but rather to gain fame and fortune.  "Why do you always have to make it about something else?"  Jenna asked Lemon at one point.  That is exactly how I feel at times.  I become so adamant and obsessed over certain issues that I might appear to be forcing my beliefs on others (this is actually quite a big fear of mine I might add - in case you couldn't tell already).

The question still stands though.  What does it mean to be a feminist today?  I have my definition of it, but before I state it, I would like to hear what others have to say.  So please email me (christine.d.benjamin@gmail.com) or text/call if you have my number.  I am very curious where we are nowadays with this topic and would love some more feedback regarding it!

Also, if you are so inclined, you theater people out there:  What defines a feminist play?  Think about it!