I consider myself a feminist, but I object to the term “Feminazi” as a label. What exactly is a “Feminazi”? The Urban Dictionary defines it as someone who believes that:
-
All men are idiots
-
Wearing a bra is a symbol of oppression
-
Shaving legs is giving into male pressure
-
Snowmen must be called “snowpeople”
-
Any romantic song mentioning a girl supports rape.
I consider myself an “orthodox” feminist but I don’t believe any of those things are true. I think that men are equally intelligent to women, wearing a bra is a symbol of having breasts that need support, shaving legs is something I do so my girlfriends don’t make fun of me (and more importantly I like the feeling of my own shaved legs), snowmen can be of either gender (or no gender at all), and there are many romantic songs (think “Nina” by Ed Sheeran) about love. However, there are many songs that promote sexual violence, including “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and “Young Girl” by Gary Puckett. Yes, Robin Thicke argues that his song is about his wife, but I want to hear him argue that the line “I hate these blurred lines I know you want it I know you want it I know you want it” is about consensual sex between a husband and wife.
So, clearly, I’m not a Feminazi as defined by the Urban Dictionary. Phew!
But, now I’m not sure if I should be insulted. Am I less of a feminist than I should be? .
The real issue, it seems, is that terms like “Feminazi” demean people who believe strongly in their position. With the Jewish New Year upon us, we are reminded just how horrible the Nazis were to the Jews and other minority groups as well. It’s lazy and inaccurate to describe anyone as an “anything” Nazi. The Nazis killed 11 million people. Comparing women who do not wear bras nor shave their legs to people who killed 11 million people disgusts me. Actually, comparing anybody to a Nazi disgusts me. A perfect example of this is on the show Grey’s Anatomy. Anyone who knows me knows I love Grey’s Anatomy. (My roommate and I have a giant poster over our fridge of a quote from the show.) Unfortunately, the hospital calls one of the characters, Dr. Miranda Bailey, “The Nazi.” The characters only stop using that expression when they have a patient who is an actual Nazi, and has a tattoo of a swastika, and Dr. Bailey says, “No one better ever call me Nazi again.” It is ironic that a Black woman is called Nazi.
The bottom line is, it is not important if you want to criticize extreme feminists, or any feminist at all. In my mind, I do not understand why anybody is against gender equality, but then again, I am a woman who grew up in Massachusetts and I go to Skidmore College. If you don’t agree with the notions that women should have equal opportunities or pay as men, fine. Just don’t call those of us who do, “Feminazis.”