"Lipstick and Blood" by José Gómez FresquetSo I’ve been dipping my toe into feminism. I just finished a book on the topic, in fact. And though I like what I hear, I’m admittedly a little hesitant to bring it up in conversation. Why? At worst, the word “feminist” conjures the image of an ugly, man-hating, hairy-pitted bitch. A kinder rendition might be someone a tad too uptight and politically correct to be much fun. These people are angry, and preach about issues that are not the most pressing in the world right now.
But no, I will wear my feminist status proudly. Ignorance and hatin’ come with every cause. This stuff IS important because of how wide-encompassing it is and how blindly ingrained sexist customs are in society. If you’re sitting comfortably, perhaps with some nibblies, I’ll give you a little taste.
Soon into my book, Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti, I began to wonder why feminist issues are not more widely known. Race and LGBT issues cause a lot of stir, and while they relate to large populations, women make up 50% of the world! “Stop being gay” has achieved recognition of being inappropriate, but “stop being such a girl” has not. Both imply that being gay or a girl is an undesirable quality.
That expression is a small, more harmless-sounding example, but it illustrates how when something is so widely used, it’s seen as normal and unnecessary or impossible to change. It’s ingrained to the point where it’s seen as “just how society is.”
A broader example–when a woman is attacked, sure no one thinks highly of the perpetrator, but the messed up thing is that a lot of the time more focus and blame is put on the victim, even if you don’t realize it. She should have known better than to have walked alone, walked in that area, or walked that late at night. But most importantly, she should have known better to do those things dress like that.
It’s unsettling that society is viewed as inevitably dangerous for women and so the onus is on them to be constantly fearful and on guard. Maybe there should be less self-defense classes for women and more programs for boys in school to combat our culture which objectifies women, bringing on apathy and violence.
And rape is never the victim’s fault. As Valenti says, “I don’t care if you’re a naked, drunk, passed-out prostitute. It doesn’t matter.”
“But women shouldn’t walk alone in shady ass areas at night in clubbin get-up…” I first thought to myself. But if we’re going to effect change, why do it in a way that oppresses the lives of the victims rather than targets the perpetrators? Everyone should have the right to just “be”. And plus, no one wants to be forced to live as a fugly, caged-in broad who must always travel in packs.
Tip of the iceberg, people. Perhaps a briefer, bulleted list of arguments I liked from Ms. Valenti at a later date.
Be the first to like this post.
No comments:
Post a Comment