#iamafeminist

In response to: http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/girl-explains-why-shes-not-a-feminist-guess-why/

I'm not even going to get into the problem that this woman only uses a handful of well chosen facts to promote her side... What I will say is that I have never seen another movement to end the oppression of a certain group so widely misunderstood or so widely hated on by members of the group it is attempting to liberate. Yes, feminism's goal is for equality, BUT it is still called FEMINISM. It's main goal is to raise women's political, social, and economic status to that of men. The movement in its very name is centred on women's issues, so it's no wonder men's issues are not given equal weight in the feminism community. I've never seen anyone bash environmentalists for posting about carbon emissions instead of child labour issues, because that is not what the group is about. That doesn't mean environmentalists think child labour violations are just, but that is not their focus. That being said, throughout the history of feminism, feminists have been some of the greatest allies for other oppressed peoples from the abolitionist movement to the civil rights and gay rights movements. Third Wave Feminism itself focuses on the concept of intersectionality, which is about how people face different forms and degrees of oppression and privilege based on various facts about them, such as sex, race, gender, religion, sexuality, age, health, etc. If this woman knew anything about feminism or intersectionality, she would be educated enough not to speak about gender as though there are only two options.

The other point I want to stress about this video and all of those ridiculous ‪#womenagainstfeminism‬ posts is how ridiculously American-centric and narcissistic they are. These people are posting about how they don't need feminism in a world of 7 billion people, roughly half of which are women. Who cares if you don't need feminism? Other people do. As a white female raised on the west side of vancouver I can say that though I see how gender has affected my life and worldview, I have not faced any significant oppression due to my gender. There are places in the world where women aren't allowed to go to school, where they are ostracized for being raped, where they are treated like property (and not like an iphone6; like an old pair of runners). Even in Canada we have clear inequalities represented by things like the wage gap, the lack of diversity in government, etc.

Feminism aims to promote equality by breaking down gender roles and allowing for all people to express themselves the way they choose. That's why‪ #‎iamafeminist‬

Dead White Males

Lately, lots of posts have been popping up at me about the gender and racial representation in the media and in literature––this probably has something to do with the fact that 90% of the tumblr accounts I follow have to do with literature, the media, or feminism. Anyway, these posts made me realize that I have read very few books by authors that are not white, and this realization made me really embarrassed and upset. So naturally, my bag is currently stocked up with books by women and men from a whole slew of different cultures.

Unfortunately, I am not the only one who is almost solely exposed white authors; many of us do not consciously think about it, but we all know that there is an extreme lack of representation of women in general (particularly of women of colour) and of men of colour in literature. I started thinking about the mandatory books studied at my high school and this is what I discovered:

64% of the books we read are written by WHITE MALES

29% are written by WHITE FEMALES

1% are written by MEN OF COLOUR

0% are written by WOMEN OF COLOUR

What's even worse is that I go to an all girls school, which means that the number of books by female authors studied is even lower at most other schools.

These statistics are a problem. Yes, I understand that a lot of the "classics" that are deemed "must reads" are written by white guys, but that does not excuse the fact that we do not read a single book by a woman of colour and that we only read one book by a person of colour. There are so many great books written by people who are not dead, white, straight males that it is absolutely ludicrous that these percentages exist in a school that considers itself multicultural and female-empowering.

Reading is about connecting with characters and their stories, but it is also about connecting to the author. You get a little peak into the author's view of the world. There is no better way to foster understanding and acceptance between people of different ethnicities, genders, sexualities, etc. than to read stories written by a wide-variety of people.

So the next time you go to the bookstore (or click on the amazon store on your Kindle), consider trying a book written by someone of a race, gender, religion, sexuality, etc. that differs from your own.

Why Miley is my Queen

1. She has great music:

Man, that girl can hit the notes! I've always thought her music was super fun––Party in the USA was my jam in '09––but her new album truly blows my mind. Not only are the vocals outstanding, but it's one of the most diverse albums I've ever heard. The songs pull from an eclectic range of musical influences. You can hear pop, country, hip-hop, jazz, and so many other genres coming together in one album. She's broken free from the all-sounds-identical route that pop-music has been traveling down lately.

2. She's funny:

Nothing shows that she's okay poking fun at herself more than the fact that she enters her Bangerz tour shows on a giant slide version of her tongue. Clearly, she embraces all of her quirks. One of the best parts of the show had to be when the little person was dressed up as a joint; it showed that both she and the dancer have senses of humor and that they are not uptight.

3. She's expressing herself:

I've heard countless people say that Miley is trying to sexualize herself for the media, but they are flat out wrong. Miley is not sexually objectifying herself; she's just expressing her sexuality. Not many women do that, and I think it's kind of fantastic. When people were getting all uptight because she touched her crotch with a foam finger, I was just thinking, "have any of you people ever seen a rapper perform?" How is it okay for men to grab their crotches willy nilly, but the moment a women references her sexuality, all hell breaks loose? Miley doesn't conform to cultural norms; she is a symbol of female freedom of expression. 

4. She puts on a great show: 

The Bangerz tour has everything: gigantic blow-up dogs, crazy cartoon videos, huge birds, hot dogs, cars, people in animal costumes. But even with such a busy set, Miley manages to hold to attention of the audience. She's got great stage presence; perhaps it's partially because she's always doing something shocking, but it's mostly to do with the fact that she's having fun and she's comfortable in her own skin.

5. She's changing what "beauty" means:

Miley is going against everything the media tries to drill into our brains. She is writing a new definition of "beauty" in front of the entire world. Beauty doesn't have to mean long hair, big boobs, and a big ass. The performers on the Bangerz Tour are people of all shapes and sizes: tall women with huge butts, little people, jacked girls, skinny girls, muscular men, chubby men. Together with these performers, she is teaching us to see beauty and worth in people that don't fit into the tight box that is our societal ideal.

The Lucky Ones

I was talking with my mom about what feminism means today and how it differs from when she was a teenager and even way back when my great-grandma was a teenager. She said that she thinks that nowadays feminism should be focused on developing countries and that we should feel lucky to live in North America. I disagree with both of her statements, but her latter opinion in particular bothered me.

A lot of the time when people talk about being a woman in North America or any place where women have equal rights, we use the words like "fortunate" or "lucky." We're so lucky to have the opportunities we have. We're so fortunate that we are born in a society that is where there are laws against rape, where women are seen as persons, where girls are not only allowed to be educated, but legally have to. I resent this. We are NOT lucky. We have simply claimed our birthrights as human beings; things that we never should have had to claim. If anything the other women––the women that live in places where they are seen as property, where they have no voice, and where they are not permitted to get an education––are unlucky.

But even describing women in other countries as being "unlucky" is wrong. There is no luck involved in the way people are treated; there are only the decisions and actions of the people who choose to oppress. There is no choice, no pre-determined action in luck, and there certainly is in rape, in violence, and in legislation.

So please do not be so ignorant as to call yourself or anyone else fortunate because you/they are being treated the way you/they should be treated. And do not think of people as being unlucky if they are treated unjustly; instead, think of the people who treat others badly as being the sick, ignorant humans they are.

"Five Reasons to Date a Girl with an Eating Disorder" Parody

This is a post in direct response to this sick article: http://www.returnofkings.com/21313/5-reasons-to-date-a-girl-with-an-eating-disorder.

If you don't want to read the article, it basically gives reasons why dating a girl with an eating disorder is good. For example: "her obsession with her body will improve her overall looks" and "she costs less money." It is disgustingly sexist and insensitive to both eating disorders and obesity.

Five Reasons to Date the Guy Who Wrote The Article

1. His insecurities caused by Small Penis Syndrome will make him obsessed with working out

Because men who suffer from Small Penis Syndrome (SPS) have "size" issues, they try to compensate for it by becoming huge everywhere else. Luckily for you, his large muscle mass is not an accurate reflection of his interior confidence. His self-hatred will make him easy to manipulate. You'll be able to make him do whatever you please, and his toned body will make him look nice and manly while doing it. He is sure to impress all of your female friends. Just make sure you don't let them see him in a pair of tighty whities!

2. He provides you with endless problem solving fun!

If you're the kind of girl who loves never ending puzzles and impossible quizzes then the guy who wrote this article is your ideal man! His fear of confident women and his desire for power in a relationship clearly illustrate his excessive amount of baggage. But he's not the kind of guy that you can fix quickly––he's an endless knot you'll be forever loosening. How enjoyable!

3. You'll have him all to yourself

There is no way such an ignorant jerk has any friends, so you will never have to worry about him being busy. You also won't have to worry about him cheating on you with other girls because his very essence repels all females.

4. You're certainly more intelligent than him

Although most girls are attracted to intelligent, ambitious males, maybe you're interested in being the superior intellect in the relationship. This guy lacks all knowledge about the severity of eating disorders. In fact, the only thing he does seem to know about is patriarchy and misogyny––practices that are virtually obsolete in Western society today. His ignorance is adorable and will make for great stories to share in the workplace.

5.  He's a rebel

Girls are usually into the rugged, tattooed, motorcyclist rebels––I don't know if the guy who wrote this article fits that description, but he certainly does rebel against social norms. Reasonable human beings see women as equals and are considerate when speaking about illnesses like eating disorders––but not him! He's a politically-incorrect, misogynist hipster. Who knows what lines he'll cross next? Maybe he'll start preaching domestic abuse. Bad boys are soooo hot!

The art of being friendly

I am probably one of the least friendly people on the planet. I've been thinking about this tragic flaw of mine lately and I've come up with the reasoning behind it. I'm sure all of you have––at least at some point in your life––felt pressured to fit into the little box society has set aside for you. Society has made me believe that a teenage girl should be agreeable, kind, sweet, nurturing, that a girl who speaks out and voices her opinions is rude or arrogant or "has to be a lesbian".

This box may seem trivial, and of course it is compared to the gender inequalities that people face elsewhere in the world, but my mom always told me––and I firmly believe that––you can't judge other people unless you are perfect. In Canada, every man, woman, and child of every gender, religion, ethnicity, and sexual orientation has equal rights. But it isn’t what is written in the Constitution that gives us equality; it is the way we perceive one another. How can we preach equality when we have stopped trying to master it in our own country?

But I'm digressing. My point is, like most people, I do not fit into the box society has made for me. Although I have many typically feminine tendencies, I always have a strong opinion to voice, I love playing aggressive sports, I have a witty sense of humour, and I am blunt. These qualities are at the very centre of my being, and yet I hide them from people at first for fear of judgement. Because I don't let myself be myself around new people, but I also don't know how to be anyone else, I end up going almost completely silent. The other day, I was out on date kind of thing with a boy, and I found myself acting completely unlike myself. Whenever he asked what I wanted to do, rather than being honest, I pretended not to mind, so I would seem agreeable. I answered his questions politely, but rarely elaborated, and asked him questions back. In the end, I just didn't talk very much and we didn't have very good conversation. Looking back, I am disgusted with myself.

People in general need to accept who they are more and show their wonderfully complex selves off to the world. Although the boxes society puts us in are roomier than they were in the past, we need to get rid of the boxes once and for all. Humanity's fixation on order and classifying people is quite frankly ridiculous and stupid. If we all try to be openminded about ourselves and other people perhaps we can provoke others to do the same.