Is Feminism Overrated?

fem·i·nism

: the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities

: organized activity in support of women's rights and interests

Feminism is a word that strikes fear into the very hearts of our male counterparts. Whenever a woman claims to be a feminist, men steer clear of them. Why is this? In out society today, everything has developed its own "image" or stereotype. Sadly, feminists are stereotyped as unattractive, angry men-haters who are single and despise relationships. 

Feminism was established in the mid-1800s, and the Feminist Movement started in the 1960s. Feminism has become increasingly popular, however with its increase in popularity, the typical definition of a feminist has changed. For the worse, I might add. In the media, celebrities claim to be "feminists" to gain more popularity. As I said above, the feminist has developed its own image and stereotype. In my opinion, the popularity of feminism has been decreasing over these past few years. It's a term that has become overused in media, and as more and more fights feminists have been winning, its seems that women should be having equal rights as men. Right? Wrong. Modern feminists still have much to overcome...

So, the question remains: Is feminism overrated?

In my opinion, NO

Feminism is most certainly not overrated in any way. It's simply misunderstood and over-exposed. Women's rights still remains a problem that faces the world today. Modern feminists merely have different obstacles to overcome. During the feminist movement, women were fighting for abortion rights, domestic violence, rape, and sexism. We women have gained many rights by fighting for our equality, however there still are major problems that are unsolved. Today, modern feminists face the "final feminist frontier." This "final frontier" is overcoming gender inequality in the workplace and gender inequality in domestic labor. Some would say that the genders are pretty equal, however this is not the case all over the US, and it certainly is not the case for certain foreign countries. The major barrier feminists must overcome is the media. The media can easily be manipulated to shine a negative light on any topic. The media and pop culture is responsible for the stereotype feminists have today. Modern feminists have the tedious job of altering that image. 

Feminism is undeniably a worldwide problem. Women struggle in other countries around the globe. In certain countries in the Middle East, such as Afghanistan and Iraq, women's rights are greatly suppressed. In Saudi Arabia, women still do not have suffrage, and women who are victims of rape can be charged with crimes. Abortion on Ecuador is illegal. Illegal. The rights of women are so suppressed, its mind-boggling. Don't men realize we are humans too? We are just as capable as men, maybe even more. Us women are a force to be reckoned with.

Not enough people realize the importance of gender equality. There is a wide spectrum of gender equality. In the Us, women are allowed to have abortions, vote, and freely express their opinions, contrary to the little to none rights women have in other countries. Think about it, in some places in the world, men walk away innocent form rape, and women constantly live in fear of abduction or worse. When I say women, I also include teens and children. Imagine your closest female loved one have to endure a life of suppression. If you are a guy and you are reading this, imagine that you could not go out, talk, vote, and you are constantly humiliated and ridiculed by the opposite gender. Put yourself in the shoes of the millions of women who can't live their own life.

I hope I have shed some light on this topic

 To lighten the mood, here are some funny feminist pictures!