21’st Century ‘feminism’: the mistake within

It’s nearly 2009 and yet for many the word ‘feminist’ conjures up a mental image of butch, braless, angry, Doc Martin clad, hairy-legged, men-hating women.
Phew. That’s a lot of imagery for just the one stereotype.

After a long and arduous battle for equality, there now exists a worrying trend whereby young women are bandying the term ‘post-feminism’ around, making it hip to, well, do as you *****well please. Declare to being a feminist (of the good old fashioned type) and you will get looks of utter disgust, amidst snickers from the males - obviously that makes you celibate, dull and ugly. Oh no, you don’t want to waste your time with feminist notions, as it’s ‘liberating’ to wear next to nothing, expose your breasts to strange men and swear like a navvy.

Not that I’m recommending a return to an antiquated, Victorian society where exposing an inch of ankle was a horrific social faux pas. I’m merely suggesting we return to good old fashioned respect. Yes respect. I know that to the ‘yoof’ of today, there are always old codgers banging on about the lack of respect, but I believe it’s down to society as a whole to respect themselves and each other. How is it ‘liberating’ to wear a skirt so short it could well be mistaken for a belt? Or to wear so much make-up that you resemble a rogue oompa loompa?

Of course the point here is choice. Said women would argue that they are choosing to dress as they like, therefore they are liberated, as society allows them to do so. But one question. When your average 20 something is grinding with you on the dance floor, admiring the view of your cleavage, is he really thinking what a smart, liberated woman you are? Not. Likely.

Not that I hate men, you understand. Far from it. Men are under just as many pressures to conform to a given gender stereotype as women. They just follow a different set of rules. As we all know, it’s easy to blame the Big, Bad Media for all life’s issues, and sure it doesn’t help when you’re confronted with a page-3 society, but perhaps the answers lie closer to home.

The UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. Some believe the answer is to hand out free contraception, but for me the problem needs to be tackled via personal morality and respect. Women and even young girls are under an immense amount of pressure to sexualise themselves, in order to fit into society. One personally heartbreaking experience was when I worked in a clothes store in my teens and a young girl of no more than 8 said to her mum, “I want this top, it makes my boobs look bigger”. The world can be a tough place, so surely the innocence of childhood should be preserved, without children being forced to grow up too soon. It seems tragic that we were allowed to experience the fun of childhood without worrying about dieting, boys and bra size, while our children are thrust into an adult world of image and judgement.

The fact that the UK has a booming cosmetic industry also acknowledges the fact that we are a society obsessed with looks. A woman is judged by her sexual worth and labelled accordingly. With breast enlargements being the number one procedure of choice, it’s a wonder that we even know what real breasts look like anymore. It’s ludicrous that the media slates women for being too fat (aka ‘curvy’) or thin (‘skeletal’), peddling the damaging notion of ‘real’ women. ‘Real’ actually means natural and untampered with, therefore allowing both a size 6 and size 16 figure to fall into this category. Yet we ignore this, moulding the outlines of ‘real’ into large-breasted, mini-waisted Barbie proportions. Ladies, you don’t need huge boobs and wide hips to be a ‘real’ woman, nor do you need a slim waist and tiny thighs. But one thing that the media won’t tell you is that this is real, it is you, and it is beautiful.

Please indulge me in one cliché, which is that beauty really is only skin deep. We just live in a world where it is idolised and manipulated for capitalist, greedy ends. We need to re-educate young women, so that they can grow up in a world where they can be both accepted and respected. I realise that I have posed an awful lot of questions with no easy answers, but questioning is the first step to change. If only more women questioned why they must train themselves to act in a certain way, there would perhaps be a happier, healthier notion of sisterhood and understanding.

So ladies, say it proud and say it loud- you’re a feminist and you believe in change for the better.

- By Rebecca Andrew, a feminist. Who incidentally does wear a bra.