There are no perfect feminists. Let’s start there. There may not even be good feminists. There are definitely feminists but putting them in boxes of good, bad, or adequate relies heavily on how someone views feminism, and feminism is viewed differently.
Many people regard feminism as fighting for equality between men and women. Feminism has fought for women’s rights, the right to vote, closing the wage gap, etc. Feminism has grown over the years and has become more intersectional. Feminism has grown to include women of all colors instead of just white women. Feminism has grown to include transgender women and fight for the rights of those in the LGBTQ+ community. Feminism has grown beyond a white women’s movement to be a movement that fights for equality for all. To believe in feminism and to call oneself a feminist is simply to believe in the fundamental human right of everyone being treated fairly, which often means going beyond equality and reaching equity.
When I say that there are no good feminists, that doesn’t mean that feminists are bad. It simply means that feminists are feminists. Some may consider themselves to be a bad feminist because they didn’t stand up for a woman at work, didn’t take the time to call someone out on their toxic or misogynist behavior, laughed at a harmful joke their boss made, never attended a protest and all the other reasons we tell ourselves that we aren’t doing enough. There is no way to accomplish every aspect of guidelines that one may tell themselves that a good feminist must achieve. You can only do the best you can do to fight for equality and equity for all. It’s an ongoing battle, and we all meet the standard of a feminist when we do any small action to support the movement.
If you support that everyone should have the right to make their own decisions for their body, then congratulations, you’re a feminist. If you think discrimination is wrong and those oppressed should be given the necessary help they need to rise up, congratulations, you’re a feminist! If you support dismantling the patriarchy and fighting for everyone’s rights to live and love freely with no group having benefits over another, congratulations, you are a feminist! Having basic human decency and fighting for basic human rights makes you a feminist! Feminists are different and they don’t all believe in the same things but we can all agree on the necessity of everyone having basic human rights.
You can help fight for feminism by doing any number of things. It isn’t always leading a protest, but if you’re able to go to one, then that’s fantastic. You can simply educate the people in your life on what feminism really is to help break down any stereotypes they may have accumulated over their life. You can take the time to educate yourself on feminist issues and topics and spread that knowledge to others. You can stand up for minorities and others by simply raising their voices. Ask them for their opinions and how they feel. Take that knowledge into consideration. Hire more women. Hire more LGBTQ+. Hire a variety of races, a variety of genders, a variety in all aspects. Speak out against discrimination, racism, homophobia, misogynists, and everything else that promotes hate in the world.
There are no good feminists, only feminists who do whatever small or large action we can every day to make the world a safer, more loving, and compassionate place for our generation and the future generations of the world.