Research on feminism

http://www.universitytimes.ie/2011/12/06/feminism-to-the-modern-teenage-girl/

At the opposite end of this male cultural coding, you have the burqa, and I no longer feel strongly about that. I used to think that it was a tragedy that a woman's dress and, by extension, her public identity, should have to be mediated through male paranoia

There are plenty of conversations in the name of feminism that I would happily stamp out like fags in a dry forest. If I read one more article in which someone confuses sisterliness with feminism and wonders why women aren't nicer to one another in the workplace, or on Twitter, or in parliament, or at Asda, I don't think my spirit can take it.

Most people when they hear the word feminist automatically envision a bra burning, hairy legged, man-hating lesbian on a singular mission to bash any idea that she should be remotely "girly" simply because she is a woman.

 Modern feminism is more about a set of ideals than someone's appearance.

The outward appearance of a feminist is truly not any different than that of anyone else, and to be a feminist a woman does not have to be a radical making demands to every passerby who will remotely listen.

IMAGE: The first inaccurate view of feminism is based solely on how a true feminist should appear to the outside world. The misconception is that a true feminist will cast away society's views of beauty and set their own standards. While it is true that a most feminists will attest to the fact that they set their own standards of physical beauty and do not rely on media images or men's opinions to do it for them, that does not necessarily mean that the standard's they set will be outside of what society considers the norm. In fact, most women, feminist or not, shave their legs and their underarms, wear bras and makeup, and probably even get manicures and pedicures should the opportunity present itself. The true idea behind feminism is not to set yourself apart from societal norms to let people know on site the beliefs that you espouse, but rather to use your own judgment in determining what is right for you as a woman and an individual. If you awake to find that you want to wear a beautiful dress and stilettos simply because it makes you fell sexy or better, then by all means wear them. But, don't let society dictate that this is how you should dress.

MEN: Another misconception that many people have about feminism or feminists as a group is that they are all man-haters. The truth in the matter is the fact that a woman supports other women in having their own ideas and lives has nothing at all to do with their ability to love a man. Just because a woman does not feel that she should be forced to have her actions dictated by her male counterparts does not in any way suggest that she cannot have a completely satisfying relationship with mutual trust and friendship with some lucky man. It simply means that the men in her life will have to learn to accept the idea that she does not feel as if she is less than they are simply based on the fact that she is a woman, and while she will respect and value their opinion she will also believe that she was given the gift of a sound mind for a reason, and will not simply accept their beliefs as her own.

Another misconception about feminism and women that has always truly bothered me is that if a woman supports a feminist view point she does not appreciate or respect courtesies given to her by men simply because she is a woman. I am sure that there are some women who would be offended by a man opening a door for her or curbing the language they used when she came into the room. However, for the majority of us, the common courtesies of opening a door for us or curbing foul language in our presence are not at all offensive, merely a sign of good breeding. Because face it, no they would not do this for other men, but just because we have feminist view points does not make us less of a woman. When a man shows these respects to a woman, it should be appreciated for the respectful gesture to her womanhood that it is.

TRADITIONAL ROLES: The final misconception that I have faced that really annoyed me is that a woman could not possibly be a feminist and supportive of traditional gender roles. I love to cook supper for my husband and child, and I take pride in the fact that no one can care for my child the way that I can. I also love the fact that I work outside my home, and am damn good at what I do. The ideals of feminism are not based on who cooks the supper or cleans the kitchen, but rather on the fact that it is not automatically assumed to be a woman's role to do these things, but that she may actually
want to.

Caitlin Moran: My position is that every woman in the 21st century is feminist by default. This is a feminist world. We go to school with boys, we expect to be treated equally to boys, it's illegal to rape us, you can't own us, our paychecks go into our bank accounts, we are feminists, and unless you have actually handed in your vote at the White House and said "I have no need for this anymore," then you are a feminist. So then it becomes a semantic argument, why have we lost that word? I think young women, they just haven't heard the word feminism in the last 15 years or so anywhere in popular culture. I think one of the reason people got scared of it is that you don't have people going out there and saying, "I'm a feminist!" That's why I was interested in writing a sort of fun, colorful, common sense book, to get women to the point where they can support feminism publicly.