Editor’s Note: This article contains mention of sexual assault allegations.
Feminism is defined by the International Women’s Development Agency as “all genders having equal rights and opportunities.” The feminist movement, catalyzed by the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, aimed to give women the right to vote and to expand women’s rights.
Today, almost 200 years later, the fight is still going strong, with losses seemingly outnumbering the wins. It is extremely difficult to live in the reality where after decades of proving time and time again that women are just as worthy as men, here we still sit, wondering what the next blow to our rights will be.
In 2022, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, many women, including myself, hoped and prayed the worst was over. We would see our right to abortion reinstated and protected even further. Then, the United States learned of the 2024 presidential candidates — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Again, women all over the country had a newfound sense of hope through the idea a woman could be our president, with a definite next step being restoring Roe v. Wade. Once again, when the election results came in, women lost.
Trump’s attacks on women started off with a bang, with him and his Cabinet wasting no time. Soon after his inauguration, many people noticed the government’s reproductive rights page was taken down, making Trump’s intentions very clear from the jump.
One would think as times evolve and the fight for women’s rights continues, we would be making steps in the right direction. However, it seems to be going the opposite way.
Some may think feminism equates to a hatred toward men, or the idea that women are the superior gender. While there are people who share this mindset, the main idea of feminism is much simpler: equality.
Women all over the world are taught from childhood there are certain roles we need to fill, certain attitudes to live by and certain things we can or cannot do. Dress codes are enforced in middle and high schools to limit what girls can wear because apparently, ordinary body parts on women are seen as distractions.
As a 12-year-old girl, hearing my shoulders need to be covered and my shorts needed to be a certain length was confusing — later in life, so were the cat calls, the snide comments about my future as a stay-at-home mom and the overall misogyny present in everyday life.
In today’s political climate, extremism has become the new normal, with there being more people on the outskirts of each side than in the middle. With this extremism often comes people on both sides of the spectrum unable and unwilling to see each other’s sides.
This throws a serious wrench in feminism being normalized, as the political climate has become so divisive both sides essentially refuse to hear each other out. There are many things that should have never been politicized, one of the most important being feminism and women’s rights.
Each wave of feminism in this country has brought its own successes and thought-provoking messages. The first wave catalyzed women’s suffrage, playing an important role in the beginning of the entire women’s rights movement.
The second wave focused more on women’s rights overall, beginning the discussion of dismantling stereotypical gender roles and allowing women more freedom in every aspect. The second wave also included the historic Supreme Court case that women all over the country mourn the overturn of every day: Roe v. Wade.
Both third and fourth wave feminists used the last two waves to find a new sense of bravery, identifying specific people and systems that further the anti-feminism culture. A prime example of such is the #MeToo movement, in which multiple women called out Harvey Weinstein’s crimes against them.
Being a teenager during this movement was both a freeing and terrifying time — I was watching thousands of women stand up for themselves and each other, even against extremely powerful men, and it was inspiring. At the same time, however, we were also seeing men like Brett Kavanaugh being appointed to the Supreme Court, a man with multiple sexual assault allegations against him.
Thousands of women throughout this country have been put into positions in which they will forever remember where they were on certain days — when our reproductive rights were ripped from us and when the same man who orchestrated it was elected back into office only being two of those days. It is extremely difficult not to wonder what will be next.
There are many people fighting against women right now, and it is hard to remain steadfast in our battle against them. It can seem endless at times, especially now. Feminism has become villainized by many far-right groups when all women have been asking and fighting for during the last 200 years boils down to two simple things: equality and respect.
The idea of feminism must not only become less villainized but also more normalized. It is not about being superior to men or having a platform to bash men — it is about women gaining their fundamental rights back and not having to worry about them being ripped from us again.
If you are a man reading this, chances are you have at least one woman in your life who is important to you that is experiencing true fear at this moment. While you can’t fully comprehend the terror of women countrywide right now, you can sympathize and ask yourself one simple question, “What world do I want the women in my life to live in?”
When I ask myself this question, I immediately answer with “a world in which I feel safe.” Though devastating, this statement cannot be applied to our current situation. However, as proven by generations of women before us, the fight begins with one step forward.
It is not time to give up hope, regardless of how tempting this may seem at times. It is time to stand up and fight even harder — our lives depend on it.
