Today in one of my classes we watched this clip. For anyone who doesn’t know, this cute little video advertises The Women’s Fund, a great organization that empowers women and girls. The video is great - it’s a good example of the belief that feminism is not just for women anymore.
(The only issue I have with this video is that save for Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, the video only features mid-aged white men.)
When asked for our reactions toward the video, a young woman in my class raised her hand and said, “I really like this video. It pulls me in because I am, like, the opposite of a feminist - I’m from San Francisco, so ‘feminism’ has a stigma around it. So being a person that hates feminism, I liked seeing regular guys talking up The Women’s Fund.”
While I’m glad that the video drew her in, I was very insulted by her ignorance. She basically said that being a feminist is taboo, bad, dangerous. She insulted the feminism that keeps me and my friends, many of whom are rape survivors, strong and involved and focused. Sure, some feminists and feminist dialogue is extreme, but there are extremists in EVERY group and association - religious, social, political…
I wanted to confront this girl, but sometimes it’s just not worth the effort. I know that the work I do for women will begin to make up for the ignorance that some people choose to have toward the feminist movement. I am and will always be a proud woman, co-survivor, ally, FEMINIST.
Tell me, how do you respond to women who are sexist against women?
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