Feminism: Not The Empowerment Of Women

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Feminism, arguably one of the most controversial topics this year has been plagued with stereotypes, assumptions, and prejudice. When I first learned of feminism, I was indoctrinated with the idea that it symbolizes a movement for women who hate men, bras, and anything that lessens the power of women. My lack of knowledge on the subject led me to assume that the ideas that feminism presents are doing more harm than good to relationships between men and women. Now with a deeper understanding of the subject, I have confidence in the words that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said in her Ted Talk: “We should all be feminists” (Adichie, Chimamanda N). Feminism is not the empowerment of women alone; it forges relationships, equality, and courage between …show more content…

When Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gave her Ted Talk on feminism, she inspired Beyoncé to dedicate a song on her album to the feminist movement. Nearly a feminist anthem, “Flawless” empowers women to be proud of who they are without depending on a man for a definition of success. A minute of the song is Chimamanda reciting what she said in her Tedx Talk: “We raise girls to see each other as competitors, not for jobs or for accomplishment…but for the attention of men. We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are. Feminist: the person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes” (Hapsis, Emmanuel). Chimamanda redefines feminism in a way that ensures that both genders are equally represented and they have the same rights. This is central to the feminist movement, for it is not just about the empowerment of women but also the representation of men. Even though Beyoncé does not shy away from being called a feminist, many celebrities are afraid of being labeled one, thinking that the connotation is negative (Meltzer, Marisa). The new campaign that Emma Watson is doing with the United Nations, HeForShe, encourages men to stand for gender equality, bridging the divide between men and women and the assumed gender roles ("Full Transcript of Emma Watson 's Speech on Gender Equality at the UN”). People who do not know what feminism stands for assume that they should not support the cause, believing that the feminist movement goes against men. The lack of education on what the movement stands for has created a stigma with the word, preventing people from knowing the true meaning of the

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