Monday, September 1, 2014

Don't Worry I'm Not a Feminist


Bright lights blinding as awaiting hands rip open the envelope satisfying excited ears.  “The woman of the year award goes to…….”  The crowd held in hesitation the channel rushes to a commercial break.  The billboard music awards unleash all the dreams of 11 year olds wanting to one day be in the limelight.  The show returns to dramatic music filling the room.  “The woman of the year award goes to Katy Perry!”  Katy Perry makes her way up to the stage to accept her award.  She humbly states how much she appreciates this award and goes on to say “I’m not a feminist, but I do believe in the strength of women.”  

Many viewers are confused as to why Katy Perry made it so apparent that she was not a feminist.  The Webster dictionary definition of Feminism is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.  Why would Katy Perry not believe in equal rights? This is because of how feminism is portrayed as a bunch of extremists who hate men and want superiority.  In reality it is the fight for men and women to be paid the same and to be treated equally in society.  The portrayal of feminism in media  has made feminist a scary word that no one wants to be associated with. 

Katy Perry’s speech was one of the many examples of famous women in pop culture not wanting to be referred to as a feminist.  When Carrie Underwood  was asked if she was considered a feminist she stated “I wouldn't go so far as to say I am a feminist, that can come off as a negative connotation. But I am a strong female. My parents raised me to be pretty independent and I grew up - I have sisters but they're a lot older than me - an only child. I feel like that contributes to how I handle myself and how I carry myself.”

Everyone needs to worry less about the image of feminism and more about the cause itself. It is ridiculous to think a woman can do the same job as a man and still get paid less. You would think that in 2014 America would have fixed something as simple as this. The bad connotation of feminism is taking away from the basic right of equality for women in America.
 




7 comments:

  1. I agree, but I also don't think mainstream media is the only cause. Just as there are men who think women are inferior, there are also women who think men are inferior. Both groups are both incorrect of course, but I also don't think its right to dismiss them and blame it all on TV, music, and movies. Both present problems. The silver lining is that these problems, just like any problem, can be solved if enough people work together.

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  2. I completely agree with this. In response to what Seth was saying-- I think that's kind of what you're saying, is that people need to work together to think more about the cause than the word. I think another cause isn't just mainstream media, though, since I do know a lot of girls who are completely "oh-all-men-are-pigs" and they call themselves feminists. This alienates those men and women who would have before said that they were feminists, because they don't want to be grouped with those people. But yeah, I agree with what you're saying completely.

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  3. I had no idea that Katy Perry or Carrie Underwood had said either of those things, so thank you for bringing that to my attention. I do think you have a very strong argument that the word "feminist" has a very negative connotation around it.
    "Everyone needs to worry less about the image of feminism and more about the cause itself." was a very simple, great line that stuck out for me.

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  4. This is a good analysis. It's a shame that some women consider the title "feminist" to be shameful. That term should have a positive connotation for everyone.

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  5. I thought this analysis was really good and is an issue that I was not fully aware of. It seems like the word has taken on a new meaning and most people actually understand the point of feminism. It is frustrating to read about this because a lot of children look up to Katy Perry and they are going to think that feminism is bad.

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  6. I totally agree! I think its ridiculous that these celebrities that have so many people looking up to them aren't even fully educated on the true definition of feminism. I'm sure that if everyone knew that it simply is equality between the genders, then everyone would be one. I agree with Eva in that I also loved the "Everyone needs to worry less about the image of feminism and more about the cause itself" line.

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  7. I completely agree with what you are saying. She contradicted herself. The fact that people say they aren't feminists when they don't even know what the word means is insane. So many people have the simple belief in equal rights but many deny being a feminist just because they haven't looked up the word in a dictionary and are pulling what they know from the media to support their claim! It is especially shocking when you hear a celebrity such as Katy Perry claim she isn't a feminist because she has so many young people looking up to her that she has to be really careful when it comes to topics like this.

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