The vision of a woman in the ’60s or ’70s, burning her bra in the street and declaring hatred for all men, comes to mind for some people when picturing a feminist. Others see a gaggle of women in the early 1900s marching for the right to vote.
People who identify as feminists, however, have a very different image in their heads.
Feminists are often women, but they can also be men. Feminists are simply people who believe in equality for women and for all people, said Catherine Cutcher, an adjunct professor of women’s and gender studies.
“Feminism can be a DIY culture; (it can be) grassroots and decentralized in that we don’t have just one message,” she said. “We’re a diverse group of people with different beliefs.”
The first wave of feminism is generally attributed to the late 19th and early 20th centuries as women fought for more opportunities and the right to vote.
Focusing on social equality, sexuality and reproductive rights, second-wave feminism started in the ’60s and continued until the early ’90s.
Today’s feminists are often labeled as third-wave feminists, although some young feminists say there doesn’t need to be another wave, that all feminists are just feminists.
“Feminists have always fought for women’s equality and gender equality in general,” Cutcher said. “So I think one of the core features is that we are part of history and we don’t distinguish ourselves, necessarily, from older waves of feminists.”
Feminist beliefs can vary from person to person, but some of modern feminism’s focuses remain: gender equality in the workplace, contraceptive rights, rape and sexual assault, and gender stereotypes.
Although a lot of people will admit to agreeing with feminist stances on numerous issues in her women’s and gender studies classes, Cutcher said many are hesitant to embrace the label of feminist.
“I always ask, ‘What is a feminist?’ ” Cutcher said. “And I always get responses like: ‘someone who hates men,’ ‘someone who doesn’t wear makeup,’ ‘bitch,’ ‘lesbian,’ ‘dyke.’ ”
In addition to a negative understanding of what constitutes a feminist, Cutcher said her male students tend not to understand that they can identify as feminists, adding that men tend to believe that feminism is purely for women.
“I don’t think men can be feminists,” said Mike Wischerath, a junior studying communication. “We have our own viewpoints and so do women.”
The negative representations of feminists that are common have persisted in the media for generations, making it difficult for people to proudly stand up as feminists, said Elizabeth Chinn, the graduate assistant for the Women’s Center.
“I think our generation is afraid of the ‘f-word.’ I think we should embrace it,” she said. “Feminists have never had the best rap; we have always been painted as very scary creatures, and we’re not. We’re your next-door neighbor. We’re hetero- and homosexual and everything in between. We shop at the Gap.”
With the stress and requirements that already come with being in college, it can be hard for students to commit to a label that comes with so much baggage.
“I actually used to identify as a feminist,” said Benjamin Eddy, a sophomore studying psychology and linguistics. “But I feel like the term is far too loaded.”
Openly admitting to feminist views can be like adopting a loaded identity, Chinn said, so many people qualify their beliefs by first clearly stating they are not feminists.
“Some of it is a calculated thing people do,” she said. “So people will say things like, ‘I’m not a feminist, but hell yeah, I think women deserve the same pay as men,’ or ‘I’m not a feminist, but hell yeah, I think rape is wrong.’ There are these scary self-identifiers.”
Although some people remain hesitant to declare themselves feminists, there are others who are proud and outspoken about their feminist identities.
Mackenzi Bentley, a senior studying history and women’s and gender studies, serves as the treasurer for an Ohio University feminist organization, People Acting for Gender Equality.
“I’m very proud to say I am a feminist,” Bentley said. “I want to try to break the stigma. I think people still think we’re man hating, and you do always have that small pocket of people who fit that, but feminists come from all walks of life.”
Cutcher said she believes that with the recent attacks on women’s contraceptive rights made by Rush Limbaugh and Rick Santorum, more people will be willing and open to label themselves feminists.
“Well, according to Rush Limbaugh, feminists are sluts and prostitutes, and to demand to have contraception is problematic to him,” she said. “I actually just posted on Facebook today, ‘Thanks to Santorum and Limbaugh we just recruited a next generation of feminists.’
“I feel like those two guys, because of what they’re saying, have outraged so many people that they’ve really proven that this fight for gender equality is far from over.”
Although there is the potential for more women to declare feminist beliefs openly and proudly with contraceptive rights being such a widely discussed topic, negative perceptions of feminism still persist, Cutcher said.
People see feminists as one-sided — only fighting for women’s equality and ignoring equality for others. But the ideals of feminism are truly human rights-oriented, she said.
“I think feminists are humanists. We are human-rights activists; women’s rights are human rights,” she said. “We deserve equal treatment. We deserve to be heard.”
bm257008@ohiou.edu
