Redefining the Feminist
Lately there has been quite a bit discussion about whether the feminist movement has been a positive thing and if it enhanced the lives of women as a whole. I'm part of one of the first generations to have lived their entire lives in this feminist culture.
It seems to me that the slant of the movement has been horribly mangled. We've gone from wanting to be 'valued' to not even valuing ourselves and our bodies. Younger women are said to be part of a 'stripper' culture that glorifies casual sex and a totally lack of modesty. Think about it, what types of things are plastered all over the TV: Brittey Spears not wearing panties and videos like 'Girls Gone Wild?' (Here's an irony, these girls made a man very rich.) I'm not saying that everyone is like this. I'm just saying that our society is at fault for glorifying this behavior.
I was talking a male friend about the feminist movement over the weekend. We came to the conclusion that the problem was with the focus of the movement is that they equated equality to being able to do the things that were identified as being previously for men: working outside of the home, equal pay, etc. While I'm not against these concepts and certainly believe that if a woman chooses to work outside of the home she should have all of the same opportunities and benefits that a man would have in the same position. But my criticism of the feminist movement is that they should have promoted the traditional role of the woman as wife, mother, homemaker as being just as important as that of income provider. Taking care of the home (i.e. making a house a home), fixing meals (and making them a integral part of the family dynamic), and being the primary caregiver of the children are profoundly important to the success of a family. It is just as important as a paycheck. Truly teaching men and women to value this is how women should have been empowered. This is the flaw of the feminist movement. The message should not have been: "I need to be equal to a man to powerful." It should have been "I am a woman who is the center of the family. I am already powerful."
It seems to me that the slant of the movement has been horribly mangled. We've gone from wanting to be 'valued' to not even valuing ourselves and our bodies. Younger women are said to be part of a 'stripper' culture that glorifies casual sex and a totally lack of modesty. Think about it, what types of things are plastered all over the TV: Brittey Spears not wearing panties and videos like 'Girls Gone Wild?' (Here's an irony, these girls made a man very rich.) I'm not saying that everyone is like this. I'm just saying that our society is at fault for glorifying this behavior.
I was talking a male friend about the feminist movement over the weekend. We came to the conclusion that the problem was with the focus of the movement is that they equated equality to being able to do the things that were identified as being previously for men: working outside of the home, equal pay, etc. While I'm not against these concepts and certainly believe that if a woman chooses to work outside of the home she should have all of the same opportunities and benefits that a man would have in the same position. But my criticism of the feminist movement is that they should have promoted the traditional role of the woman as wife, mother, homemaker as being just as important as that of income provider. Taking care of the home (i.e. making a house a home), fixing meals (and making them a integral part of the family dynamic), and being the primary caregiver of the children are profoundly important to the success of a family. It is just as important as a paycheck. Truly teaching men and women to value this is how women should have been empowered. This is the flaw of the feminist movement. The message should not have been: "I need to be equal to a man to powerful." It should have been "I am a woman who is the center of the family. I am already powerful."
posted by Peach Pod at 7:21 AM
2 Comments:
may I say "Amen sister!"?
Very well said and may I add an "Amen sister" too!
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