What comes to mind when you hear the word feminism? "It's a girl thing," "Feminism is about hating guys, it's a real witch hunt, frankly," "Being a feminist and wearing miniskirts don't go together," "Feminists go too far, feminist OK, but not extreme," "Are you in a relationship/married? But I thought you valued your freedom?"... The term "feminist" has a bad reputation in our society , often subject to hostile and stereotypical judgments. A dirty word, or almost, thrown around like an insult, it's associated with an extremist image . In fact, when Alexandre Dumas first used the term "feminist" in 1872, it was in a pamphlet to ridicule men who wanted to give more power to women. It took about ten years and its appropriation by the journalist Hubertine Auclert for the word to refer to a movement for equality between men and women.
"Feminist" is an unloved, misunderstood adjective, a word that divides when it should unite us. Through this category, we hope to demystify the term and restore its dignity .
"Our body belongs to us"
Talking about feminism means first and foremost asking what it means. And in this respect, the word is often given several definitions, each more erroneous than the last. Let's examine the definitions in the Larousse dictionary and Wikipedia:
" A militant movement for the improvement and expansion of the role and rights of women in society." according to Larousse.
"Feminism is a set of movements and philosophical ideas that share a common goal: to define, promote and achieve political, economic, cultural, social and legal equality between women and men." according to Wikipedia.
In short , feminism is nothing more and nothing less than gender equality. Men and women are capable of the same actions. Let's be clear once and for all : feminism is not a social movement that "idealizes" women and wants them to be the only ones "in power." Feminism is about breaking free from cultural and societal norms. It's a mixed-gender struggle for greater freedom . A struggle to abolish, in various areas, the inequalities between men and women of which women are the primary victims , and thus promote women's rights in civil society and in their private lives.
It's choosing to dress as you wish , without fearing male or fatphobic remarks. It's choosing to respond intelligently to misogynistic comments and not remain silent. It's also having control over your body and accessing positions of responsibility without being a victim of a "glass ceiling." A fight so that we never again have to ask ourselves: "What if I were a man, how would things have turned out?"
Because yes, it's a fact, we live in a system that makes a difference in biological sex a "fundamental" difference . It creates two genders: male and female. And each gender is attributed qualities and skills, tastes and aptitudes. Thus, people born female are, for example, supposed to be gentle, like pink, or have a maternal instinct, etc. Conversely, people born male are "supposed" to like blue, soccer, be strong, ambitious, etc. Every individual is thus educated from a very young age with this idea, internalizes it, and reproduces it "naturally." This system of domination is called "patriarchy." It takes various forms depending on cultures and eras but always leads to this result: men dominate women in all aspects of society , heterosexuality is the norm, and violence against women is rampant throughout the world.
Feminism thus fights to transcend these genders, to build a society in which every individual can live as they see fit. An individual's sex should not, and cannot, justify differential treatment in the entrepreneurial, commercial, social, and cultural spheres—everywhere. It is high time to consign to oblivion the myth of the "weaker sex" at the expense of the "stronger sex"! Where do we stand today?
Feminism is becoming less taboo today, but, as you are surely aware, rejection persists in French society. While feminism has gradually gained acceptance and considerable progress has been made in women's rights, inequalities and injustices still exist in 2020 .
In our country alone, for example, men earn 27% more than women , 73% of women compared to 16% of men admit to doing more housework than their partner (source Consolab ) , while 60% of women report having experienced sexism at work , and a woman dies every two and a half days at the hands of her partner or ex-partner, raising the number of femicides in 2019 to between 122 and 149 women , according to various sources.
While much remains to be done, the turning point brought about by the #MeToo movement has changed history . It is one of the first times that feminism has truly become a major topic of online debate. In late 2017, following accusations of sexual assault against producer Harvey Weinstein, actress Alyssa Milano used the hashtag #metoo , launched ten years earlier by feminist activist Tarana Burke . Harassment, and then femicide, became media topics , accelerating awareness of the issues surrounding gender-based and sexual violence against women. What does it mean to be a feminist today?
Whether ordinary citizens, intellectuals, or artists, women are increasingly asserting a militant and uninhibited feminism in the face of pervasive sexism. This is reflected in the growing number of hashtags emerging on Twitter and Instagram, such as #MindYourOwnAss , #NotYourDecoy , #NotYourArabGirls , and #UberIsOver . There are also Instagram accounts like " In a Girl's Mouth ," " You Said No ," " Punchlinettes ," and "Bordel de mères" (a play on words combining "Bordel" and "Motherhood"), as well as short films and podcasts .
Depending on your age, background, and experiences, the word feminism can therefore resonate differently . There are as many ways to live and express feminism as there are women in the world. That's why the articles in this category, although they take different approaches, will all address feminism with a capital F so that everyone can find something that resonates with them and, above all, understand the importance of feminism.
The goal remains the same: to improve the overall living conditions of women for a fairer and less violent world. #GirlPower will be everywhere, we assure you, and that's a good thing! 