Response to “I am Not a Feminist and That is Ok”

Recently, I read an article on the Odyssey that was titled, “I Am not a Feminist, and That is Ok”. (http://theodysseyonline.com/wku/it-is-okay-not-to-be-feminist/344023) A woman wrote the article, so I was interested to read it and see what she had to say. My feelings after reading the article were mostly sadness and anger.
The woman starts by saying that whenever she tells people she isn’t a feminist, they gang up on her and try to explain feminism, and she doesn’t want to hear it, because she knows what feminism is and does not agree.
So now, I am really perplexed, because if a woman knows what feminism is, then I do not see why she would be against it. I read on.
She continues to state that she believes in equal pay, equal opportunity, and that if she were living in the twentieth century, she would be a feminist. However, she says, “We are currently in what is called the fourth wave of feminism. I don’t want the things that these feminists are fighting for.” She then says that a feminist will tell you it is not ok to change your last name for marriage, not ok to be a stay at home mom, and it is not ok to like cooking.
Now I’m just baffled because I cannot believe how ignorant this woman is. I’m sorry if that is harsh, but if she has access to a computer, which she clearly does since she wrote this article, she has access to Google. Google would prove about everything she is saying to be false.
Sure, you may come across people that identify as feminists and say that they don’t think a woman should change her last name, or cook, or be a stay at home mom; but that does not define feminism. No, this lady can google the definition of feminism and become informed that all it means is equality among the genders, something that she even said she believes in.
To critique her work even further, we are in what is called the third wave of feminism, not the fourth. A feminist would say it is ok to be a stay at home mom, if you want to be that, you simply should not feel like that is the only role you can preform. The same goes for the changing of the last name, if the woman wants to change it, she can. The point of feminism is giving women the choice to do what they want with their life and body instead of being forced to succumb to a cultural norm. If the woman chooses to partake in that norm, because she sincerely enjoys that role, than that is ok.
I understand that if you are a middle class white female in the Western world, the need for feminism may not seem as apparent to you. However, in other parts of the world, women have not made so much progress. Furthermore, if you believe in equality, you believe in feminism by definition- who cares what the name is? At the time feminism was created, it was needed for women to push forward to be as equal as men, that’s why the name is female-based. I don’t think there needs to be a huge fuss over it now; if people have the time to write long articles about how they disagree with feminism, they should have the time to search the definition and find that it does not mean man-hater, but equal rights activist.
Reading this article made me cringe and feel pity for the woman who publicly humiliated herself. I don’t think she is a bad or dumb person, just ignorant. Some hope was restored when I read this article, (http://theodysseyonline.com/denver/youre-not-feminist-and-heres-why-that-isnt-really-okay/370591), firing back.

Sources:

1. http://theodysseyonline.com/wku/it-is-okay-not-to-be-feminist/344023
2. http://theodysseyonline.com/denver/youre-not-feminist-and-heres-why-that-isnt-really-okay/370591