I am a female and I am so over antifeminists
‘Maybe women would be more interested in turning on Sports Center if they were represented on it’
While browsing Facebook this morning in a fit of procrastination, I came across an article from The Odyssey titled “I Am A Female And I Am So Over Feminists” by a writer named Gina Davis.
As I proceeded to read Davis’s opinion regarding feminism, I was completely taken aback by the sentiment of her argument. I couldn’t disagree more with some of the points made, and I don’t think they came from a place of knowledge.
Sit back, relax, grab some popcorn… and please enjoy the following snarky product of my frustration, created with quotations from the original article.
“I believe that I am a strong woman, but I also believe in a strong man. I’m all about girl power, but in today’s world, it’s getting shoved down our throats. Relax feminists, we’re OK.”
Are we? This should be good.
Gina then proceeds to tell a story about her boyfriend feeling uncomfortable in a classroom discussion about female sports on television.
“Apparently, it was getting pretty heated in the room, and the women in the class were going on and on about how society is unfair to women in this aspect and that respect for the female population is diminishing quickly. If we’re being frank here, it’s a load of bull.”
Is it? In my own experience as a woman, I would also probably “go on and on” about my right to equal representation in sports competitions, because the inequality in female sports broadcasting is incredibly well documented.
“First of all, this is the 21st century. Women have never been more respected. Women have more rights in the United States than anywhere else in the world.”
While women might be treated better now that we’re not all expected to be home churning butter and mending petticoats anymore, that does not mean we can settle for treatment that is still second-best, or that the home is not still primarily considered to be a “women’s place” while men bring home the bacon.
Additionally, the world extends beyond the United States and women are still treated abhorrently across the globe. What about Malala Yousafzai and her fight for women’s education across developing countries? What about the horrors of female genital mutilation? As comfortable as it might seem in our little U.S. bubble, pioneering for women’s rights doesn’t stop at our borders.
“On a realistic level, how many women are turning on Sports Center in the middle of the day? Not enough for TV stations to make money.”
What a fascinating point. But maybe women would be more interested in turning on Sports Center if they were represented on it. Or maybe society has been conditioned for years to accept that sports are a primarily masculine interest, and it’s an association we should change rather than accept.
Some feminists enjoying a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while simultaneously pondering inequality in broadcasted sports!
“Whatever happened to chivalry? Why is it so “old fashioned” to allow a man to do the dirty work or pay for meals?”
This type of sentiment in which men “do the dirty work” perpetuates an antiquated system maintaining women as the delicate, submissive type, and men as their protectors. That’s an imbalance that projects itself onto all other aspects of life and consistently disadvantages women.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for doing favors for people, but it should go both ways so that women offer to pay for the meal just as much as men do. The kindness and respect that may be associated with “chivalry” should really have nothing to do with gender and more to do with mutual care for human beings.
“There is a distinct divide between both the mental and physical makeup of a male and female body. There is a reason for this. We are not equals. The male is made of more muscle mass, and the woman has a more efficient brain (I mean, I think that’s pretty freaking awesome). The male body is meant to endure more physically while the female is more delicate. So, quite frankly, at a certain point in life, there needs to be restrictions on integrating the two.”
While it’s true that men and women have different physical body parts, that does not make it okay to refuse opportunities for any gender to pursue its interests. What if women were allowed to try out for the NFL? Or if we had a comparable program for female athletes to do whatever they want without being marginalized?
That would be pretty freaking awesome. Also, the idea that there “needs to be restrictions on integrating the two” is transphobic and exclusionary.
“Though there is still considered to be a glass ceiling for the working female, it’s being shattered by the perseverance and strong mentality of women everywhere. So, let’s stop blaming men and society about how we continue to “struggle” and praise the female gender for working hard to make a mark on today’s workforce. We’re doing a kick-ass job, let’s stop the complaining.”
Yes, I would agree that women are pretty kick-ass, and the fight for equality has made strides in recent history. But again, we can’t all just hold hands and sing Kumbaya when there’s still work to be done. Complaining is how we got here, and complaining is how we’re going to get equal rights and treatment and programs and resources and healthcare and respect!
A mother feminist and a daughter feminist, fighting both the elements and the patriarchal institutions that oppress them!
“I consider myself to be a very strong and independent female. But that doesn’t mean that I feel the need to put down the opposite gender for every problem I endure. Not everything is a man’s fault.”
I think now is the time to point out that the feminism is not an institution to tear down men. It is a movement to gain equality between genders. The fact that society has been conditioned to accept inequality is something we are trying to change.
So, feminism is here to fight against anyone who is actively perpetuating that acceptance of inequality, no matter what gender they are.
“Let’s be realistic ladies, just as much as they are boneheads from time to time, we have the tendency to be a real pain in the tush. It’s a lot of give and take. We don’t have to pretend we don’t need our men every once in a while.”
I think that what Gina is saying is a real pain in the tush.
“I believe in myself as a powerful female and human being. However, I don’t believe that being a female entitles me to put down men and claim to be the “dominant” gender. There is no “dominant” gender. There’s just men and women. Women and men. We coincide with each other, that’s that. Time to embrace it.”
The idea that “there is no ‘dominant’ gender,” is frankly untrue and naive. Also, there’s more than “just men and women” – in fact, there are many genders and sexual orientations fighting for representation that are not mentioned in Davis’s article.
Men and women are not equal because one gender is dominant and one is submissive. In fact, that’s the opposite of equal. But a society in which men and women are treated with equal rights? That’s a society I’d want to live in.