Fashionable Feminist
“It’s an issue that has divided women much more than it has aided their cause”. The author Linda Scott, who also describes herself as a feminist, wrote these words. There has always been dissimilarity between women who are fond of fashion and women who believe that putting effort into the way you dress is a sign of low self-esteem. Can a woman put effort into the way she looks and still advocate women’s rights?
Feminism is something that the majority of women believe in and fight for on a daily basis, yet not always consciously. I believe that every woman has the right to be anything she wants. Still, not all women will agree. The harsh reality is that feminist women who care for their appearance are often not taken seriously or even scolded by fellow feminists.
Modern feminism is divided into two different categories, the “true” feminist and the “fake" feminist (the more common of the two) and this division is a gross hypocrisy. By definition, a feminist can be either gender. The definition of feminism has been so misinterpreted that it is like a secret society where only certain women can join. In the early days of feminism when women first started to work outside the home, feminists were displeased because some women still chose to stay home. “A housewife is a parasite”, writes Betty Freiden who describes herself as a feminist writer.
Feminism has helped women all over the world become their own person, through voting, and demanding to be viewed as equals to men. On July 19th, 1948, a resolution was passed that women had a right to vote, thanks to one woman who had the courage to stand up and be heard, her name was Elizabeth Cady Stanton. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, Stanton and Susana B. Anthony, together became the driving force for the Women’s Rights Movement. Back when women were viewed as the property of men and a value of their home, these women, and women after them stood up and demanded rights. These rights now give us the freedom to become who we want and they give us equal opportunity. But this wonderful movement, taken to the extreme, can be counter productive and take away freedoms. They shun any woman who dyes her hair or paints her nails. It is wrong to say that feminism is bad, or has not helped our grandmothers, mothers and our children in the future generations. Modern women today choose to be married, while some are single parents and others live on their own. We have equal rights as men, and sexual harassment laws are in place to prevent mistreatment in the workplace and in society in general. Women are leading ladies of Canada, and many aspects of businesses around the world. Michaelle Jean is the Governor General of Canada, Anna Wintour is the editor in chief for Vogue (one of the biggest fashion magazine’s around the world), and Kimora Lee Simmons is the CEO of Baby Phat (one of the most successful female hip-hop clothing brands). These women would not be able to become these huge successes if it wasn’t for the women’s movement that began many generations ago. These women who came before us, through their act and struggle have created limitless opportunities for women to follow.
The “anti beauty” ideology that has dominated feminist thinking about dress and personal appearance for 150 years is something that modern women have to struggle with. There are many aspects of the feminist movement that are also not fair, and are creating two types of women. Women, who do not color their hair, shave their legs or follow fashion. On the other hand there are women who find pleasure in “girly” things, such as manicures and facials. Who gets to draw the line of where a true feminist is, and one who is a plaything on a man’s arm? Instead of women joining together and standing in unison, certain women are delegating who is who. A woman who gets breast implants, or buys a coat that is worth more than her car, is more likely to do that for her self-confidence rather than to attract the opposite sex. But if a woman does get breast implants for more male attention, who has the right to tell her that she is in the wrong? Isn’t feminism about women feeling good about them and being confident in their skin? Women who are feminine and are into fashion and appearance should not be punished and looked down upon, they should have the right to dress and feel the way they want. Deep down no woman really dresses for a man anyway, it’s for women.
A well-known feminist author Jane Smiley was a feminist who believed that true feminists did not show themselves from the outside, and always had her hair cut into a short boy style. After many years of living her life this way, when she reached her mid forties she realized that she was not getting any male attention from the men she wanted. She went to see her therapist, who in turn sent her to his colorist. Standing in front of her mirror admiring her newly colored honey blonde streaks she realized that she would hate to give that up.
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