Why I’m bored of Feminism

Yes it’s a contentious issue, and, yes, it produces a lot of debate. But truth be told, I’m bored to tears with feminist campaigns.

I don’t have any problem with the founding principle of feminism – I believe that women should strive for gender equality. What I’m bored with are modern feminists. These are the people who believe sexism is evident in every aspect of life, who think that a girl should not wear make-up because it objectifies women and who post photos of American Apparel mannequins with overgrown pubic hair all over my Facebook feed. I can honestly say, as a girl, I don’t care about any of this. In fact, I would go so far as to admit that today’s feminists bring out a touch of misogyny in me.

Constant FemSoc campaigns like this are boring Photo: Ellie Williams

My own problem with feminism comes from the fact that it is no longer realistic. Often the smallest things are exaggerated to display examples of sexism. An article on the University’s Feminist Society Facebook page suggested that last year’s trend of ‘Spotted’ pages were sexist because they objectified girls. Seriously, it’s a joke – take it as a bloody compliment if anything else!

I’m happy to accept that there are differences between men and women. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with male tennis players getting paid more than female players. You wouldn’t expect a girl to get paid the same as a guy working at a bar if she worked a couple of hours less than he did, would you?

I will unashamedly admit that I wear make-up and spend money and time on my appearance to look my best. I do this both for myself and to make myself attractive to guys. I don’t care if by doing this I’m somehow succumbing to ‘male standards’ of what girls should look like. I’m a sucker for a new beauty campaign and would love to look like a Victoria Secret’s model – does this mean I’m objectifying myself? Of course not, it just means that I take an element of pride in my appearance, as I’m sure most girls my age do.

I accept the fact that a lot of people won’t like what I’m saying and the image I’m portraying of female students. The bizarrely large following that the Feminist Society enjoys demonstrates that many students, both male and female, genuinely believe in its cause. But in my view it’s exaggerated, hypersensitive and just unbelievably boring.

Who honestly wants to hear the woes and moans of the Feminist Society on Woodland Road? Not me, that’s for sure.