Am I a feminist? Are you?
I hear you: this is a pretty straightforward question. A couple of years ago, I would have agreed. If one defines feminism as the belief that men and women are equal, then yes, I am a feminist. Nearly everyone would claim to be. I believe that every person is of equal and infinite dignity, no matter who they are or how they identify themselves.
But this is not the current definition. This is how feminism was defined a couple of waves ago. If we take the “wave” metaphor too far, I feel like I’m watching people catch whatever wave we’re on now, hanging loose, hurtling toward the beach, while I’m bobbing up and down on my surfboard beyond the break thinking “I guess I’ll catch the next one.”
I want to be an advocate for women and a good example, but I don’t know what to say when someone asks me if I’m a feminist. It depends on your definition. Haha, how much time do you have? And when we get into it, so many people I’ve spoken to—especially young women—feel similarly alienated.
It is a collective failure that so much of modern feminism is about being rich and hot. Since when are these feminist goals? They are consumerist ones, to be sure.