Sometimes I wonder what it really means to be a feminist. I consider myself a feminist. I'm not fighting for the right to vote, or for the right to own property, or enter the army. I guess I'm not really "fighting" for anything. I definitely concern myself with the politics of gender, whether it be in my workplace, my relationship, or my research. I believe in equality of men and women and people of intersexualities all over the world. But there are so many definitions for that one word, feminist.
If you're a radical, you're a man-hating bra burner, and you want to live a matriarchal society where women are dominating and independent. At least this is the popular conception of radical feminism. I believe that this is popular conception of feminism in general. I think that's sad.
Can women who believe in traditional gender roles be feminist? Can a feminist be a stay-at-home mom who leaves all of the family decisions up to her husband? Can a woman who provides for herself by selling her body and enduring the literal abuse of men be a feminist? Can a stripper be a feminist? Is stripping for a living empowering, or is it just falling into a trap of being a product that a man can buy?
Even in our own culture, there is the potential for so many controversies surrounding what feminism means. I cannot begin to imagine what sorts of differences there are between "feminists" in the international realm. I have to wonder, is feminism really about women's rights, or is it about individual's rights? And, at what point does feminism become individualism?
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