I was a feminist. Yes, the conservative Pearl in Politics was a feminist. Hard core, ‘let women choose to kill babies’ and ‘ban bossy’ feminist and then I came to the light!
I’ve always believed in women’s empowerment and still do. I believe that women are the backbone of this world and deserve to be treated equally regardless of gender. According to today’s standards, that makes me a feminist, right? Wrong! Today’s form of feminism or what I refer to as ‘third-wing feminism’, is nothing more than a mockery of classical feminism. Today’s feminism is all about burning bras and hating men.
Instead of fighting to be accepted as intellectually equal, third-wing feminists such as Betty Friedan seek free birth control and tampons. Feminism has changed and it is time for every young lady to be aware of this. It has transformed into an ideology that seeks to destroy men and make women superior. It only believes that we are equal if we all can walk around topless and not hold ourselves to higher standards.
Today’s version of feminism says it is okay for girls to get extra help in the classroom, but not for boys. Illustrations such as Life of Julia, tells women that government in every aspect of their lives is okay instead of telling them that they can make it on their own.
Third wing feminism does not promote the true intentions of icons like Susan B. Anthony and Mary Wollstonecraft. These true feminists believed that women should be able to take care of themselves and they would not dare ask the government to pay for their personal needs. Susan B. Anthony and Mary Wollstonecraft were women to be admired. They knew that women’s issues were important and detrimental to the progress of a society, but they did not want those issues to overshadow and over power the rest of the world.
Today, women can accomplish anything. We see women in the House and the Senate, as cops, judges, and entrepreneurs. Women make up more than half the student body on most college campuses and are dominating the workplace. Women are truly in control and empowered. Realizing the progress that women have made, enabled me to understand that so called feminists leaders such Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton who claim that women are oppressed and suffering from an imaginary national pay gap, are doing nothing more than revoking true empowerment from women.
These so called women’s empowerment icons are keeping their fellow women down by supporting policies like Obamacare, when they would not use that health insurance for themselves. Or feminist role models like Beyoncé who signs girls up for campaigns such as “Ban Bossy”, but says the term “Bitch” at every opportunity. This type of hypocrisy bothered me and it is not true empowerment.
I do not need the government to walk with me every step of my life. I do not need my Constitutional Rights “expanded” when there is already a law in place to protect me from employees who want to pay me less than the opposite sex. However, all of these red flags about modern day, right wing feminism did not enrage me. I knew that these women were only out to empower themselves. What enraged me was when the same feminists who claim to fight for equality of all women had nothing to say when Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese Christian woman, was put in jail because of her religion and not one feminist organization defended her. Or when women like Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin are constantly called derogatory names while Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi laugh.
Time and time again the ones who are deemed as the icons for women’s empowerment are the ones who contribute to women’s inferiority. Third wing feminists are the ones who are secretly rooting that all women won’t realize their independence and separate themselves from big government policies. They want to make sure subsidies such as free birth control and sanitary items are the highlight of their message so that women can think they care. However, have you ever wondered when the last time Nancy Pelosi had to ask the government to cover her birth control?
The point is, third wing feminism is not the route for our girls in the world. We all deserve a chance to live and be the independent women that we were designed to be. That is why I gave up feminism. I had to decide that my life should match up with my political beliefs. I remembered that I can do anything without anyone’s help and do not need an ideology that has completely strayed from its mission, to fight for me. Today, I am a reformed feminist but I prefer the term “Freedom Feminist”.