By Jonas Miller
Opinion Editor
My name is Jonas. I’m 19-year-old boy, someday man, and I enjoy sports, video games, and eating way more than I should. Oh, and I’m a feminist.
A recently self-declared feminist who is still tapping the surface of all there is to know about life, but still a feminist.
I have always been a thinker. I’m not attracted to the traditional style of learning, where a student sits at a desk for six hours and is expected to soak in and memorize everything. What really turns me on is the “real life” stuff.
I enjoy learning and then applying, using the information I take in to make a difference. Sure, long division and grammar are things everyone should know, but it’s not information that can change the world.
I’ve very recently been fully introduced to the idea of feminism, and it’s got me doing a whole lot of thinking.
The thing about feminism is that, even the name itself, sounds one-sided. It’s a common stereotype portrayed on TV and in books that men don’t have a place in the movement. While I know that this is untrue, it’s frustrating that society isn’t even helping it’s own cause.
An example that comes to mind is the TV show, “That 70’s Show.” On the show, there is a character named Donna, who consistently declares herself as a feminist. Keep in mind this show is set in the mid-to-late 70’s, when the movement was much different from what it is today. The show depicts her and her movement as man-haters whose main goal is to assert their dominance over men. Donna’s boyfriend, Eric Foreman, is forced to take part in the movement by the plot of the show. Eric is very regularly made to come off as the more “feminine” one in his relationship with Donna.
Laying somewhere in all of that, at it’s very core, is a more masculine female, who happens to be a feminist, dragging her more feminine boyfriend into a movement he really doesn’t know anything about, nor does he want to be a part of.
That’s not feminism. Feminism should be equal parts women and men. Equality, that’s what it’s all about.
The wonderfully brilliant and beautiful Emma Watson describes it perfectly in a recent speech she gave on National Women’s Day.
“I love having the door opened for me. Isn’t that just polite? But I think the key is, would you then mind me opening the door for you?”
I will refrain from agreeing or disagreeing with Ms. Watson, as I wouldn’t want to upset anyone, but anyone who knows me will know how I feel about all of this.
Listening to Emma Watson speak, and hearing what her thoughts are, makes me want to be a feminist.
Bravo to you, Emma Watson.You are someone who anyone can look up to. You are fighting a good fight; keep up the good work.
Watson said, “It is not the word that is important, it’s the idea and the ambition behind it.”
I think this is a crucial point that is over looked most of the time. People get caught up on “feminism” and being a “feminist,” when in reality, simply identifying as such does absolutely nothing for the movement as a whole.
Pardon my cliché, but actions do in fact speak louder than words. It’s not big actions that are needed; feminism is currently operating on a situation-by-situation basis. If you, whether male or female, stand up for the equality of women and men, even just once a day, you’re doing your part.
I’m sure some of you have seen the advertisement where they ask young girls to do certain movements “like a girl.” An adult voice behind the camera asks, “Can you show me what it looks like to run like a girl?” To the dismay of a hefty societal stigma, the girls run with heart, with vigor, just like any young child would.
This is feminism. Next time you’re with your friends, and somebody says “Oh, stop ______ like a girl,” look them in the eyes, question their entire belief system, and ask, “What’s wrong with _____ like a girl?”
If they return with an uncomfortably awkward blank stare, you’ve done your job. You stood up for the equality of the genders.
Now, I’m sure somewhere out there, someone is disagreeing with me, and that’s fine. You have all the right in the world to voice your opinion, just as I do to voice mine.
In fact, I’d like to take this moment to thank you, whoever you are. You’re the reason I’m writing this, because without someone disagreeing with me, and disagreeing with feminism, there is no purpose to my words. I would be fighting for nothing.
Very recently, I watched another speech by Emma Watson, this one taking place just over five months ago. Watson is the UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador, and gave the speech in front of the rest of the UN.
The purpose of the speech was to introduce the HeforShe movement. The movement’s goal is to bring men into the fight for gender equality. Not by shoving feminism down their throats, but by putting them in the spotlight.
Watson formally invited men to join the fight, and after watching her speech, I did just that.
This is the part of the article where I invite you, the reader, to join the fight. My invitation is not just to men, nor just to women. My invite is to humans, which is what we all are.
We are certainly not perfect, but I have a personal belief that I carry with me every day, and it is this: No mistake is unfixable. Let’s fix this mistake. Let’s fight for gender equality.
