Breaking Barriers: Why HeForShe is not your average feminist campaign
Commonly observed conversation about feminism:
“I’m a feminist.”
“Uh, you are?”
“Yeah, aren’t you?”
“Well I’m all for equality, but I wouldn’t call myself a feminist…”
“Feminism. Ooo, shudder, right? If you’re a feminist, you must be excessively aggressive. You must be overpowering. You must bash men. Right?”
Wrong.
To address this negative connotation of feminism, and to launch her new campaign, HeforShe, Emma Watson gave a landmark speech at the United Nations on September 20. This speech did two very important things that other campaigns for gender equality haven’t. It included men in the conversation. Feminism isn’t about raising women over men. It isn’t about anger, or aggression, or hatred. The cause of women is the cause of humanity; inequality is a detriment to the entire world. Why? Because as much as inequality denies women control, it forces men to control. Making women submissive denies men the right to be vulnerable, and this can be just as damaging as denying women the right to be strong. Those against feminism need to understand that creating more opportunities and affording more rights to women does not mean taking opportunities and rights of men. It does not mean special treatment for girls. It means creating a more equal and more free world in which every person, man or woman, has the same opportunities and the same liberty to be completely and utterly themselves.
As Watson said, “Men — I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue too.”
It focused on ideals, not a word. The word “feminist” in this day and age has taken on a plethora of negative connotations. No one wants to identify as a feminist; it’s considered an inherently unattractive trait.
“I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men, and unattractive.” Watson said. “Why is the word such an uncomfortable one?”
The answer is this: It’s true, some women are anti-men. Some women are aggressive. Some are isolating. Some are overpowering. Some.
But then, some men hate women. Some men are aggressive, and isolating, and overpowering. The point is that this is a small portion of the male population; these traits are in no way representative of the entire male gender.
In the same way, the views and actions of a small portion of those who identify as feminists are not representative of the feminist movement itself. Feminism is the struggle for equality.
Watson’s genius in this speech, though, was that she made the word much less important than the ideals. She spoke of the rights feminists are fighting for, but she didn’t refer to them as women’s rights — she referred to them as human rights. She embraced even those who do not identify as feminist but strive for gender equality. She put forward the message that HeforShe is about inclusion as well as ideals.
But as always, there are people who will not be swayed from their preconceptions. To them, Watson said “If you still hate the word — it is not the word that is important but the idea and the ambition behind it.”
If Watson’s speech does not convince the world that feminism is a good thing, that’s fine. If scores of women working for the freedom for both men and women do not convince the world that feminism is a good thing, that’s fine. If even the support of men doesn’t convince the world that feminism is a good thing, that’s fine.
The world doesn’t have to be for feminism. The world has to be for equality.
(But between you and me, they’re the same exact thing.)
