The F word

When I was little, I complained to my parents that since there was a Father’s Day and a Mother’s Day, there should be a Kid’s Day, too. My mother rolled her eyes and told me that every day was Kid’s Day.

This past Saturday, March 8, was International Women’s Day, a day supporting women’s advancements in business, politics and access to education worldwide, as well as violence against women.

As long as these gaps exist between men and women, we should be fighting every day. Just as every day should be Kid’s Day, every day should be Women’s Day, too.
And so it’s time to talk about the F word — feminism, that is.

Here in the United States, we may pride ourselves on being “past” feminism, but the fact is women earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns, despite that the Equal Pay Act has been around since 1963. Women are still subjected to unrealistic physical expectations and double standards. And yet, feminism is still a dirty word.

The negative connotations make men and women unwilling to call themselves feminists.

For many women, they think it makes them seem unfeminine. For a lot of guys, calling themselves feminists is just a good pick-up line that fails to translate into real life.

Some on the Indiana Daily Student Editorial Board, on the other hand, are openly feminist. My fellow columnists and I frequently write about women’s issues today, and for some reason, I’m always surprised at the backlash we get saying that our crazy feminist views are not valid.

In addition to the global problems facing women as a whole, women have gender issues staring us in the face every day.

When everything marketed to us is pink. When I’m reminded that we still haven’t had a female president. Whenever I get catcalled walking down Kirkwood in basketball shorts and a hoodie.

Something is still wrong.

I could go into so many instances in which women are stereotyped or marginalized within the media, the workplace and our everyday lives. But for now, all I really want is to have people use the F word again.

I wonder why more people don’t call themselves feminists, and then I remember that the over-emotional, touchy connotations the word “feminism” holds are the same stereotypes frequently applied to women.

I’m sick of the argument that efforts to bring women up somehow brings men down. I’m sick of the reputation that a woman being passionate about something is a woman being angry and overly sensitive.

For any feminist doubters, male or female, just do some research and think about the number of women in power positions not because of lack of skill, but lack of opportunity. Look at the wage gap. Consider the hyper-specific beauty expectations a girl grows up with.

I am immensely grateful for the women before me who have paved the way for me to vote, for instance, or to receive the same education as my male classmates.

But the way still needs paving.

Keep conversations about feminist issues alive. Because feminism is not a dirty word.

cjellert@indiana.edu
@cjellert