Hot Topic: The Pressure To Be A Feminist

Celebrities or anyone under the media spotlight are often vulnerable to criticism. We don't treat famous people like humans with parents or children and a life outside the cameras. When we trash about celebrities or leave nasty comments about their actions, we turn them into a vessel for ridicule. They are no longer humans but something you can poke and prod during your own leisure time. But so far, I have never seen a celebrity more criticized than for denouncing the feminist label, which is really the complete opposite of what feminism should be.

Let's get to it:

I think western feminism is an unnecessary label and movement that has done nothing much in the past few years than to encourage women to use the gender card to get their way. Has feminism done well in the past hundred years? Most definitely. I owe my life to that movement, but it has plateaued and is grasping at straws to become relevant again. From petty movements such as manspreading to the rise of armpit hair, western feminism has become an outlet for privileged women to vent about all the insignificant issues that plague their daily lives. I think feminism can be applied elsewhere, but in countries where the wage gap is nearly nonexistent and women can own property, take custody of their children and pretty much be a badass, it's safe to say that a female-based movement is no longer needed so ardently. 

"But feminism is about gender-equality!" Yes, it most definitely is...half a century ago. But like FIFA president Sepp Blatter, I think it's time to retire that title. The Oxford dictionary defines feminism as advocating for women's rights on the ground of equality of both sexes, but somehow, feminism has taken a stance at tackling men's issues and guising it under the same label. That's like the European Union inviting Asian countries to take part in their system. It seems that women don't want to let go of the feminist term because then it's like admitting victory, and god forbid women be equal to men in some parts of the world. So they changed the definition to be a belief in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. They have pushed feminism to be synonymous with equality to the point where the #HeForShe campaign was launched to help both women and men...even though women are still treated as the main source of concern. The title encourages a victim complex and narcissism that by no means should any woman be a part of. 

Women hold such a personal relationship with the feminist title that they expect every other woman to be one too. It's like that feeling you get when someone says your pet isn't cute, like, how dare you sit there and say that Snuggles isn't adorable? If I tell them I'm not a feminist, some would feel sorry for my internalized misogyny or convince me that I am a damsel in distress in need of saving amidst the savagery of the patriarchy. If I choose to be a housewife and raise children and cook for my husband after he brings home the bacon, then it's as if I am disgracing independent women everywhere. The root of feminism was to give women the option to choose different paths in life, but choosing the one most often travelled should also be completely acceptable.

So when female celebrities are asked about their stance on this issue, the reporters aren't asking whether or not they identify as a feminist, they are expecting them to do so. That forced assumption is why there are articles that say 13 Confused Female Celebs Who Say They Aren't Feminists. It's not confusion, it's simply a different opinion. When these celebrities and many other women don't identify themselves as a feminist, that's because they understand the current equality between the sexes. They realize that 30% of boys are less likely to graduate high school, that men get more prison time, that suicide is a common cause of death for men, that women are 65% more likely to get custody of their children, that men account for 50% of rape cases but receive only a fraction of the support people give female victims. When celebrities refuse to identify themselves as a feminist, it's not that they are ungrateful for the women who have fought for their human rights, but it's because they seek to find a different label—one that encompasses both men and women without any predisposition for one or the other. 

Men are then forced to hold the title, talk about the pain of women that they know nothing about, simply because it's good publicity. A male celebrity who chooses not to label himself as a feminist will be met with cruel judgements from his female fans. Men in the media have no choice but to grin and bear it as they tell the world how much of a feminist they are, because what choice to they have? They have no leeway to talk about their own opinion on the matter. Feminism has policed free speech or any criticism towards their movement. There is such a superiority complex amongst the radical feminists that any challenge in their principles is met with rudeness and repetition of misinformation. When David Cameron refused to wear Elle's This is what a feminist looks like t-shirt, they said it was 'unfortunate' given that he is a passionate advocate for women's rights. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg happily wore the shirt to pose for the cause, and was lauded for his support. Elle tried to force David Cameron to wear the shirt five different times, which I think is quite ironic considering how much feminism advocates strongly that no means no.  Voltaire once said, "to learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize."

No one wants to be discriminated against, it's just in our nature to want to be treated like a decent human being. So when female celebrities reject the feminist title, it's not that they wan't to continue to be oppressed like the women circa 1910, they simply do not want to label themselves as a feminist merely because they are obliged to do so. Feminists who condemn the women who seek a different label should be ashamed of themselves for policing what women can say and do. Just because someone doesn't identify themselves the way you want them to, doesn't mean that they don't know what they're doing. Calling these female celebrities 'confused' belittles their intelligence and paints them as incompetent decision-makers.  It seems that this 8-letter word has more power than it should have, and we too often put our focus on the word itself rather than the ideology of the person labeled. 

“The feminist movement as we have come to know it in recent decades is fundamentally a "con."...As it is considered treasonous to criticise a sister feminist, no standards of accuracy or honesty are ever enforced. Hyperbole and deceit thus become the formula for success, "peer review" playing no role in reining in misinformation. Any would-be feminist who raises scholarly objections to the rampant misinformation is branded an 'enemy of women' and is drummed out of the movement.” -Robert Sheaffer