Call me an idealist, but I believe in a world of equality and so naturally I am a feminist. Personally I don't see why everyone isn't a feminist--don't we all need gender equality? We preach on about how the big bad enemy is our patriarchal society. We scapegoat the media industry, the government, religion (to name just a few) when deciding who to blame for gender inequality. Yes, of course all of these are the main enemies, the problem we need to fight. But it seems recently the biggest issue with feminism is the in-house fighting. It's as if we've staged a boxing match of who can scream louder about what is 'good feminism', and subsequently knock all others out of the ring. "I have the right kind of feminism," we cry. Smack, smack, insult, insult, knockout. It's the same old routine, but it's not men causing the problem this time.
What makes a good feminist, I ask? To me it's a person who believes in and pushes for equality. Clean and simple. So it really gets to me when I hear women calling other women sluts, whores, skanks, or whatever horrible term you can muster up. A real feminist doesn't care how much sex an-other woman has or how she dresses. Whether she wears no make-up or has a love affair with MAC. As a young woman I have struggled through times where I wonder whether wearing make-up makes me a bad feminist. Whether wearing dresses and heels mean that I can't promote equality. I thought that how many people I slept with defined me as a person. And not because of men, but because of other women. Women who did it in the name of feminism.
You may remember that earlier this year Kim Kardashian-West stripped down for an Instagram photo in which she wore nothing but censor bars. In my mind this was nothing shocking; we're talking about the woman who built an empire from a sex tape. What's a cheeky nude in comparison? However some people did not agree. Cue hordes of 'feminists' sending hate and criticism. I'm here to ask who gives a damn whether Kim takes her clothes off? Why does it even matter? Why does an image of the naked body demean women? I have been shamed plenty of times for counting Kim as a role model, and I'm here to say screw you. She's embracing her amazing body, she's taking control of her own sexuality, and that is exactly what feminism is about. Taking control out of the hands of men and saying "thanks guys, but this is my body and I'll decide what to do with it". And any feminist who thinks that's not freaking great should re-evaluate what they stand for.
There are hundreds of amazing role models out there, from Emma Watson and Angelina Jolie to Mi-ley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj. Why do we feel the need to fight about who is better than another? Why can't they all just be great? Most of us are a mix of these women, and good feminism supports every single one of us. I'm all for inclusive feminism. So how about we stop fighting about who is more 'moral' or 'ethical' and just solve the real problem? Because in case you forgot, while you were busy fighting over whether or not Kim should get her boobs out, Kesha was crying in a court room.
We can't win the war against inequality when there's a war between us.