New Feminists: The Quest For Equality

When hearing the word "feminist" many people picture the same vision of feminism that was made popular in America in the the 1960s. They believe the old stereotypes that feminists are women who hate men, never wear bras, refuse to shave their body hair, and shun traditionally female roles and expectations, including beauty regimens. Many years of being spoon-fed the idea that all or even most feminists are angry, hairy women has clouded the view of what feminism is really all about: Equality and Respect.

From the moment most women are born they have gender-based expectations put upon them by society. From what they wear to the toys they play with, young females are expected to look, act, and think a certain way and anything other than the textbook, curated idea of what a female should be is deemed unacceptable. This is sad.

Fortunately, there has been a recent uprise in what many call "New Feminism". Women who come from all backgrounds, geographical areas, and walks of life who hold the beliefs that women are equal to men both despite and because of differences are banding together and making their opinions and beliefs known via every outlet imagineable. They find it sad and frustrating that most young girls grow up thinking that a woman has to do something as trivial and personal as shave her legs or straighten her hair to be beautiful. They goal of new feminism is not to rally against men or discount their worth and abilities, but to remind society and ourselves that we have the ultimate say in what careers we choose, what kind of families we desire to have, how we groom and dress, and how we carry ourselves.

They believe that women and girls who are interested in math and science careers should not be made to feel uncomfortable or inadequate in their classrooms and work places just because of their gender, and that wearing make-up should be a personal choice and not a requirement for being viewed as a professional. They believe that women shouldn't have to work twice as hard as men to recieve the same recognition, credit, respect, and salary. They believe that a child should be able to play with the toys of their choice without being told that no, such and such is "just for boys".

They believe that the standard for beauty should not be physical perfection according to what media outlets say, but rather one's kindness, intelligence, and heart. They believe that women are valuable and deserve to be treated with the same respect as men. New feminists want nothing more than to see a change in society towards a direction that treats girls and women with the same respect and reverence as boys and men. And that is a beautiful thing. Social networking and other aspects of the internet are making it easier to let their opinions and desires be known. Example: a recent Dr. Pepper 10 ad that was widely criticized on Twitter and Facebook for it's tagline of "Not For Women". It's target audience was men but it was blatently sexist and also illogical since it alienated the group who does the most grocery shopping and low calorie soda purchasing: women. But the problem of sexism is ingrained in our society and will take a long time to change. Thankfully the wave of new feminism has millions of women and men who respect women dedicating their time to educating others and helping eradicate rampant sexism. There is hope.