“We Should All Be Feminist” Discussion Questions
Question 1:
I identify as a feminist because I know there is a power imbalance in the
female identity. I understand that life is simply more tough for women than it is for
males; women face the most power, social, political, and economic struggles
then men. I witness how the world handles a woman who possesses different
characteristics than a male, regardless how you identify or appear, I respect you
with courtesy and consideration. I am not a feminist who disdains all men; rather,
I am a feminist who seeks to eliminate gender inequity and establish women's
rights. I am proud to be a feminist because it allows me to always be true to
myself.I feel that defining oneself as feminine is a personal choice, whether it is
to be interested just in makeup, beauty, and fashion, or to be interested in sports,
cars, or gaming... or all of the above. A feminist, in my opinion, is someone who
believes in and strives for equality and is aware of how a stereotypical woman
should act and be treated. On a regular basis, I remind myself of the energy I
want to attract and be viewed with. Every day, I continue to defy the stereotype of
women by remembering that I do not need to shrink myself to uplift a guy, I do
not need to dress femininely, and I do not need to act ditsy to make anyone doubt
my intelligence. I am a proud feminist because of these characteristics and
values.
Question 2:
I strongly agree with Adichies statement “my own definition is a feminist is a man
or a woman who says, yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we
must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better.” I
admire how Adichie states clearly that being a feminist is a man and a woman
equally agreeing that there is a problem with the vision of a woman society has
engraved into minds since the beginning of time. Anybody can be a feminist,
anyone can feel raged by the inequality women face, anyone can be a feminist
and want to fight for equilty. As a growing society, there has been very little
progress within equal rights of women… We still face many issues that continue
to be ignored. When men fight with us women, I feel not only would that uplift
other men to join and learn about feminism but, it would also help our world
become whole. Slowly but surely I am hopeful that women will achieve and gain
the respect and praise that men have.
Question 5:
Growing up I never truly saw the different between a man that is for/ or against
feminism but, now that I am older, I can definetly distinct the men that are a
feminist. One of the biggest male role models I have had in my life is my dad, not
only because he has always taught me to stick up for what I believe is right, but
because he is a proud feminist. My dad advocates for women equality and I think
this may have sprouted after having me. I have been told that my dad's actions
and ideology have changed immensely over time. I feel that this is because out
of protectiveness my dad has seen how differently and poorly I was treated as a
girl growing up. He has always felt strongly about me challenging the system; I
was put on co-ed sport teams, I shopped to find whatever clothing made me feel
comfortable, I was always taught to use my voice, I was told to flaunt my smarts,
I felt confident and beautiful without makeup, and little things such as these
allowed me to grow up in a world that I felt powerful and confident being a
woman. My dad always told me to be myself and no matter how I choose to
identify when I grow up, to never ever depend on a man to get me through life.
For these reasons and more my father is the one and only man I see as my role
model for being a proud feminist.
Question 6:
A woman who lives in privilege, in my opinion, has exactly that: privilege. They
have every opportunity to express and embrace feminism at their disposal.
These women may have access to a variety of resources, technologies, and
contacts that might help them propagate feminism awareness. A woman who
does not have these advantages may struggle and face prejudice because she is
a feminist. On a financial level, the women who are disadvantaged are unlikely to
have access to the technology needed to raise awareness, especially in this age
of powerful media. I also believe that as a woman, you have many uneven
options in life because of your ethnicity. Privilege is held in high regard, and I
believe that race influences how much privilege you have. Personally, I prefer to
listen to individuals of colour because I believe they have experienced the
hardships and struggles that they are advocating against, whereas I believe that
a white person has merely witnessed these difficulties. I don't want to dismiss a
white person's experiences, especially since we're talking about gender inequity,
which affects all women. But, putting everything into consideration, race does
define your privilege and the power of influence you have over others.
Question 9:
Our world's perception of masculinity is distorted and stereotyped. Our
generation, I believe, has successfully challenged and grown from this worldview.
The male species does not struggle in the same way that the female species
does, I believe that a male experiencing hate for not being "masculine" enough
is a legitimate problem that men face, but I believe that this has been invented to
mirror and relate to, reject, and invalidate the issues that women face on a daily
basis. Throughout the years, female challenges have not improved, whereas the
concept of masculinity has. Women are still repressed and treated harshly,
although males are now accepted for wearing "feminine" or defying masculinity. I
am extremely pleased with how our society today welcomes a man who isn't
manly, and I believe that having a large number of influencers advocating for
these men is a special thing. However, this ignores the fundamental issue of
uneven rights for women, which must be addressed.Overall, these two types of
challenges our world faces are not the same, and I believe that unequal
treatment and rights for women should not be compared to the issues men face,
because no matter how many women advocate for female rights, no progress is
made, whereas male difficulties have slowly improved with the support of
influential males.
