“A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.”
– Gloria Steinem –
Going from a small, all-girls prep school in LA to a large co-ed university in the icy tundra of central New York came with more changes than just a new wardrobe. I received questions like, “Have you ever kissed a boy?” and “So…does that mean you’ve hooked up with a lot of girls?” and the most frequent inquiry, preceded by a sigh, “Are you, like, a feminazi?” Feminzazi??
How is it that our society has developed a term that associates a female standing up for her rights with one of the most oppressive groups in history? Newsflash: they are not similar in the slightest. By encouraging a term like this, even in a joking manner, our society is creating an environment where women fear being called a “feminazi” so much that they avoid sticking up for their equal rights and, in some cases, resort to making a joke out of feminist issues.
As young women, it is our obligation – not only to our gender, but to ourselves – to demand equal rights. Too often is feminism interpreted as asking to be above other groups, specifically men. This is not about making females as a whole superior. In fact, it is not just about females, it is a larger fight for equality of all groups including LGBTQ+ groups and minorities. Being a feminist is fighting for equal rights for females, but also for equal rights in general. It is fighting for all humans to be treated like humans and to be allowed the rights that have been bestowed upon them by the Constitution of the United States of America.
While I admit that I am not perfect – I have laughed at the occasional sexist joke without feeling guilt until later – I still hold firm that women need to be feminists. We are the generation responsible for not just saying that we want equal rights, but demanding them and making change happen. So, to answer your question, “No, I am not a “feminazi”, but I am a feminist!”