Feminism rant. Ignore if you wish.

[brightlotusmoon]

Great quotes I found on a forum.

"I'm so tired of women who cry 'Girlpower!' and then relate their better sense of self to being different than women because they're like a man. I'm a powerful, no bullshit, unconventional, uber unique female who likes football and cursing with a roughhousing business style, not like other women, so that means I'm pretty masculine minded, but I can still wear my high heels. Yay, that's feminism!
No, feminism is taking all those facets that make up who you are and stating that you are a whole person, man or woman or both or neutral. Why are the gender distinctions necessary? Crediting your strength and independence on an inner male source inside you is just perpetuating the stereotypes between masculinity and femininity and insulting your gender. Stop increasing the gap between male and female attributes because the very things that you're listing under each term are all culturally instilled perspectives that are fucked up to begin with. Being masculine and feminine is a state of gender, which is a state of mind, not a state of genitals."

"I really hate it when women automatically go for the default "I'm one of the guys/I'm pretty masculine" path when referencing their interests and behaviors. Why not do something progressive like stating those traits are not masculine, but just you? Being female does not mean being dainty and emotional. Men can be those very things and it doesn't make them any less of a man. Sex does not equal gender. Gender roles have gone and fucked up so many perceptions. 'I'm a woman, but my way of thinking is very masculine.' Are you kidding me?"

***

Note: I always get confused by people who claim to hate feminism. I was raised to believe that being feminist means believing in the ability and freedom of humans to be human. It's about being treated equally as human beings. Women are not sex objects or baby factories, they're people. Feminism means feeling safe and validated in your own body, your own mind. It means not being seen as weaker just because you have a vagina.
When someone tells me they're not a feminist and they don't ever want to be called feminist, I honestly ask why. To me, feminism isn't just about women, it's also about men. It's about appreciating what makes women and men unique. Our biological, chromosomal, genetic, hormonal, neurological, and physical differences and similarities. Our psychological similarities and differences. I don't believe in abolishing gender, I find the concept bizarre; but I do believe wholeheartedly in gender fluidity and many genders. I believe that you can be feminine and masculine regardless of what is between your legs. Being cisgendered and being transgendered, and being anything inbetween, is powerful. Knowing who you are is powerful. Embrace your gender and your sex, embrace your diversity and your fluidity. Don't try to abolish it or quash it!
Maybe feminism isn't the right word anymore, but it's still a good idea.

Comments

[tokio.livejournal.com]

Number two really, really gets me because I have no idea how to respond to people who say that and truly believe it. Most of the time I'm just thinking, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

[karalianne.livejournal.com]

Actually, I have noticed that people tend to write blog posts that reflect their gender - that is, the language makes it easy to tell if the person is male or female. This includes trans people: of the individuals I've had on my flist, if they hadn't told me they were trans I would never have known they were born other than they appear. (That is, FtM write like guys, and MtF write like girls.) So there really is some kind of gender difference going on mentally.

[tokio.livejournal.com]

No, I agree that there are differences between genders, and while gender and sex can be mutually exclusive, the process of becoming (sexually) a female or a male is also what can lend these differences in gender.

I was referring to the "I have [insert stereotypical habit], so, basically, I'm a lot like a man!" specifically. Sometimes the people who say these types of things appear to use them in some attempt to gain leverage over the others in their own gender. I think it's bizarre that someone could base part of their identity on a random trait that has been assigned to the opposite gender. I'm really exhausted and, wow, my eyes are drooping, so I hope this makes sense.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Right, right! It's like, "Oh, I can't use that rose scented lotion, I'm a man!" Oh, really? What, will the fabric of the universe come unraveled if a guy uses women's cosmetics?
I had to convince Adam that it was totally fine for him to use my moisturizers. Now he loves them. He's lost the dark circles under his eyes and his skin is soft and smooth. Oh gods, he's turning into a girl! Eeek!
Gender segregated skin care irks me. It's the same ingredients, I swear! That CoQ10 face cream is the exact same thing if you remove the label.

It took me a while to be amused by those Old Spice commercials. Now I just laugh and laugh and revel in the fact that they're laughing at themselves. I was really angry at first. There was an online Old Spice ad floating around criticizing men named Jamie, and I was annoyed because I know women who are named James, like actually have the name James on their birth certificates.

[tokio.livejournal.com]

I didn't "see" the first Old Spice commercial that talked about manliness, I only heard it, so I was like, "WTF?!"

My grandpa wore Old Spice. Once I actually asked him if it was a cologne for pirates (hey, I was young, and there was a ship on the bottle!). The next time I saw the commercial, I decided they were actually pretty cute. It's a brilliant marketing technique, I think. They're rebranding their image by poking a little bit of fun at their old image.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Agreed. One of the people on my friends list was born female but identifies as male. I originally thought this person was male from the start, just from reading the LJ entries.

[shaula82.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I also find it confusing when people claim to hate feminism. It's like...so you don't want everyone to have equal rights, to feel safe, loved, validated?...interesting.

And I too believe in gender fluidity and many genders, and in self-definition and expression :) And I wish more people got the fact that sex does not equal gender does not equal sexuality...

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

I think what I was trying to really get at with this post was how damaging gender essentialism can be. To force people into rigid gender roles is harmful. Do you think that came through well?

[crankles.livejournal.com]

Note: I always get confused by people who claim to hate feminism

I know one reason: they've been exposed to bad examples of feminism. For instance, my supposedly "feminist" acquaintance in college who would loudly proclaim that men were good for nothing but taking out the garbage and for their body heat.

Yeah. Really. Oh, but she was a "feminist" which automatically meant that she had to talk shit about men, I guess. At the time, I never wanted to be a feminist because I had this woman as my example.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Ahh, I see, *rolls eyes* Feminism isn't about hating men! It's about loving people! *sigh*