18 Things People Seem To Not Understand Because They Think “Feminism” Is A Dirty Word

(1) I need feminism because some people equate being feared with being afraid. Because I clutch a pocket knife or a set of keys when I’m walking alone for fear that any person I pass may be a rapist, murderer, kidnapper, etc. Yet some are upset because they cause this fear. SOLUTION: get people to stop committing rapes, murders and kidnappings so we don’t have to be afraid.

(2) I need feminism because I’m tired of feeling thankful every time some one asks me to dance, showing that they approve of my physical appearance. I’m fed up with counting how many stares I got and fixating on how attractive I look for other people. SOLUTION: stop treating human beings as pieces of fruit that need to be felt up in order to see if they’re ripe.

(3) I need feminism because yes means yes and no means no. And no during any point in time means no, even after a yes. Regardless of blood-alcohol level, a no is resounding and absolute. SOLUTION: if there is a question about consent, wait until there isn’t.

(4) I need feminism because most of TV is bad. Because Jersey Shore went on for four seasons and produced spin off series. Because that is what the human race is being represented as. There is not a show that has characters interacting in any form of “reality” and there should be. SOLUTION: write a show that is actually based on reality.

(5) I need feminism because people complain about having to help others in tough and dangerous situations. Saving and helping the less capable should be something we should all strive toward but generalizing an entire group as “less capable” is stereotyping negatively and unhelpful. SOLUTION: Be kind and think of others first.

(6) I need feminism because people are still arguing about forms of birth control. We are not taught everything there is to learn about sex and sexual health in school or by our parents, so mistakes happen. Because a child is considered the worst thing to happen out of casual sex. SOLUTION: better educate young adults. Equip them with knowledge so they better understand the world.

(7) I need feminism because only one kind of sex produces children and it is considered to be the “right” or “normal” way to have sex. Yet that one kind of sex prevails throughout media, society and culture even though people are constantly complaining and coming up with new ways to prevent the conception of children. SOLUTION: come up with better birth control or enjoy other sexually gratifying acts.

(8) I need feminism because human beings insult each other using gender terms. That there is no equality, that one is less than another or another. There are more than two genders and they should all be on equal footing, no one is less of human being because of the least important organs. SOLUTION: stop judging people based on gender and start accepting them on who they are.

(9) I need feminism because rape of any type happens and victims are often too scared or too embarrassed to speak up about it. Because victim blaming happens and rohypnol is word used daily. The google searches for rohypnol are about buying it, not staying away from it. “Roofie” and rape jokes are now commonplace and we feel it is okay to laugh at them. SOLUTION: don’t rape and don’t roofie.

(10) I need feminism because some people can’t even get married or adopt children. They are discriminated against while those with “normative” lifestyles complain about the way they have to get divorced. SOLUTION: allow people that love each other to get married and adopt a child if they want to.

(11) I need feminism because domestic violence happens and it isn’t taken seriously until a major injury or death occurs. Because the victims of abuse aren’t viewed as victims but as provocateurs that deserved to get beaten. SOLUTION: don’t harm people.

(12) I need feminism because the trait of empathy has been bred out of some people and there’s no excuse for it. Feeling empathic towards others should be natural, not something called into question about which group of people should do it more. SOLUTION: see something from another’s point of view

(13) I need feminism because there isn’t equality in the workplace when it comes to pay, amount of sexual harassments, promotions, or opportunities. That doing what someone wants falls second to doing what is expected, because there are expectations of what each person should do and how they should contribute to the overall wellbeing of the community. SOLUTION: stop having expectations for people based on stereotypes.

(14) I need feminism because getting out of a speeding ticket is high on a list of priorities. When there are so many other things wrong within the world we live in, I would gladly trade getting out of speeding tickets (which I have never been able to do out of the three times I’ve been pulled over) if it meant I could move up in social hierarchy. SOLUTION: disband the social hierarchy.

(15) I need feminism because any kind of hard work is qualified based on the person who did it. That someone’s hard work is taken away from them based on who they are or what they look like. That some don’t understand how hard the work actually is because they started at a different point, were given a head start. SOLUTION: work hard, and don’t let anyone qualify it.

(16) I need feminism because everyone has self-image issues that are being made worse by the various different forms of media. Because a person should only speak if they are nice to look at and what is said should match the rest of what is being said around them. SOLUTION: stop buying into the endless market of “perfection” in beauty and start looking at the beauty of what is actual and real.

(17) I need feminism because I refuse to let anyone take that word away from me. Because I will not hide the fact that I am a feminist, regardless of the images it may produce and I will not back down from it. Being a feminist does not make me “dirty.” It does not make me hate anyone or put any one group of people above another. I need feminism because I define myself as such. SOLUTION: change the meaning of the word “feminist” so that it is no longer dirty.

(18) I need feminism because these solutions haven’t happened. Because there is no equality in anything. And feminism has come a long way and made a lot of changes happen. But there are still more to go. I need feminism because two equally outrageous lists put the other down as being lesser when both had good points and bad points and both sides should have listened to the other.