It seems that recently the feminist movement has made a huge rise. It's a little different from what we have seen in previous female-empowerment movements, though--you don't see too many strikes or walks. But where it is happening is on the social stage. People have taken to the media to vocalize their feelings and opinions about the feminist movement.
Of course, I do stand for equal rights for both genders. However, my attention and energy is usually focused towards environmental issues, so it's not often that I do research into feminist movements. However, I recently stumbled upon a couple of Facebook posts and strings of comments about feminism.
And honestly, after reading them, I started to fear that this feminist movement is turning into an entirely different monster than what it is meant to be.
For example, I was reading some people's opinions on cat-calling. And, yes, I do agree that it's not polite and that no one should do it, male or female.
However, the more I read, the more I started observing people expanding the definition of "cat-calling" to encompass entirely different things.
One commenter said that women have the right to be in public without being bothered.
And honestly, I feel that that is a grossly incorrect statement. 'Freedom' doesn't directly translate to 'right to be in public without being bothered'.
Don't get me wrong. Of course I believe that women should be able to walk the streets without being whistled at. (And that's mainly because I don't think any human should be whistled at; we have a very useful form of communication that has been working for centuries called talking, and I find that to be a much more superior form of communication than whistling.)
However, no one has the luxury of being in public without being bothered. While walking through a store, you will very likely be bombarded with food sample and offers to buy different products. While sitting in class, someone will probably get your attention to ask you for a sheet of paper or a writing utensil. Hell, even while in the privacy of your own home, you'll receive unwanted telemarketer calls and have different salesmen knocking at your door.
Do you see where I'm coming from? NO ONE has the luxury of not being bothered. Honestly, that is not what feminism is about, and I think it's false for people to try to add that to the movement.
Another commenter stated that women have the right to not be made uncomfortable in public.
So I guess the main bone I have to pick with this one was her word choice. 'Uncomfortable' is a fairly subjective term, and although it could incorporate being harassed in some way, sense, form, or fashion, it also could include feeling uncomfortable because the person sitting next to her has a dog, and the dog happens to have an erection. Unfortunately, no one is able to escape that kind of discomfort, not even the owner. Feminism isn't about "comfort"; it's about safety and equality.
One male appeared in the comment section and inquired whether it was an issue to just plain and simply tell a random girl in public that she is pretty. The response to his comment was the one about "freedom to not be bothered" that I spoke about earlier.
This may be where the greatest misunderstanding about cat-calling exists.
I want you to right now, picture a female being cat-called on the streets. You may think of the age-old situation where construction workers are sitting on their lunch break, calling out inappropriate comments to passing women.
Now picture this: a female sitting in a coffee shop, reading a book, and a male tapping her and saying "Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to let you know that you are the most beautiful thing that I've laid eyes on all day."
See the difference? One is mainly done to boost one's ego, and impress his/her buddies; the other is done to make an individual feel good by paying them a compliment, and in turn, make themselves feel good as well.
And these compliments may not always get paid in the way like described above. One day, when I was pumping gas into my car, I heard someone calling out "Excuse me! Excuse me!" from across the parking lot. When I looked over my shoulder, it was a male walking by, and he simply yelled out "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!"
Hey, maybe not the most ideal way that I'd expect to receive a compliment, but it still makes the cut, doesn't it? I would never consider such a thing to be inappropriate, talk less cat-calling.
And yeah, yeah, I get it. You just want to be able to pump gas in peace. But everyone, male or female, appreciates being complimented once in a while.
So don't get caught up in this weird spin that people are putting on feminism. Remember what it's all about: equality amongst men and women. Equal pay. Safety for women. Steer clear of over-reaching implications of it like the ones presented above.
Thanks for reading.
