More Women Should Be Feminists

So I've noticed that more women should be feminists. Now, before everyone starts yelling at me, allow me to explain. In today's world, I know many women who consider themselves feminists, but really aren't. Now, I genuinely think that these women do believe that they are feminists, but they have completely missed the point. You know the people I'm talking about, I used to be one of the people I'm talking about. They're the ones who are advocating a matriarchal society rather than an equal one. They're the ones putting women down for choices that they make for themselves, and they're the ones that objectify men more than they claim men are objectifying them.

Now you all really want to yell at me, right? Try to hold back a bit, take a breath, and keep listening. I know this is an emotional topic, and trust me, my emotions are just as strong. But I'm begging you to put your judgment on hold and hear what I have to say. Just keep reading, alright?

Women are just as intelligent as men, so why do we assume we're not? By playing with Barbie, I probably had the same reaction I did when I played with my Tonka truck, or my easy bake oven. It was fun, so I played with it. Barbie didn't make me think I had to look like Barbie when I grew up, just like my Tonka truck never made me feel like I needed to become a truck driver, and my easy bake oven didn't make me feel like I needed to spend my life in the kitchen. I was a kid, so I played with fun toys. That's literally all there is to it. Young boys play with action figures all the time, yet nobody is raising a fuss over young men feeling inadequate because of Superman's biceps. Because they don't, just like Barbie isn't the problem with young women.

Then what is the problem, you ask? You're going to hate me when I say this, but it's women. I have had an entire slew of body image issues in my life. In my pre-teen years I alternated between never eating and eating all of my feelings, and I was overweight. I have always had body image issues, so don't ever think that I'm saying this because I'm exempt from feeling bad about the way I look, but Barbie didn't do this to me. Neither did television, or models, or magazines. Do you want to know the first time I felt like I didn't look right? It was when an adult woman said, "You would look so cute if you just lost a couple of pounds." HERE is where the body image issues lay, it's not with men, media, or anything else. Phrases like, "I could give you some low fat recipes" or "Your face is so pretty, but" are at the bottom of it. And women are the ones saying them to each other.

Now, as I stated before. Women are intelligent. Therefore, they should be able to make whatever choice they want for their life, correct? Yeah. So why do so-called "feminists" decide that a woman is only supportive of equal rights for women if they dress and act a certain way, or chose a certain career path. If a woman dresses in a revealing way, or if she is sexual in any way, other women criticize her for "becoming an object for male pleasure." I cannot tell you how sick I am of hearing that! Men are also smart, ladies, and contrary to popular belief they are not ruled by their genitalia. Men know you're not an object because you dress a certain way. And I would also like to suggest the possibility that the way another woman dresses could be because she wants to dress that way... just because it's what she is comfortable and confident in. In all likelihood, it has nothing to do with the men at all. And if a woman is a sexual person, they should not be shamed for it. They are allowed to make their own decisions, and it has nothing to do with you.

On the opposite side of the coin, women who decide they want to be stay-at-home mothers get just as much anger from so-called "feminists." If I hear another "feminist" rallying of about how someone is "just pushing traditional gender roles onto women" or "brainwashed by the media" I may vomit. For the last time WOMEN ARE INTELLIGENT and therefore can do whatever they want. And do you know why a women might want to be a stay-at-home mom? BECAUSE SHE WANTS TO! The same way that if a man wanted to be a stay-at-home dad there should be no issue with it! 

You're not a feminist by putting down other women for their decisions. You're not a feminist by fighting against "the media" or "Barbie." And you're definitely not a feminist by saying that men are sexualizing you, when you do the same thing to men you're attracted to. Now of course I recognize that there is horrible gender inequality in the world. And I do recognize that there is not equality here as far as pay goes for women. I understand all of that, and I know equality isn't fully realized yet in all ways. All I'm saying is let's actually try, as women, to support one another in reaching the goal of equality. Let's actually try to have a world where women can make whatever decision they want to without judgment or hindrance. Because as of right now, we're way off the mark.