Some of you may have seen a recent video of Aziz Ansari, a hugely popular male comic, professing himself as a feminist on the Late Show with David Letterman. When I first saw the video I thought to myself ‘Wow! This is great! A man saying outright on public television that he supports feminism! This is great!” And then I started to think about what he had actually said.
He mentions Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Two of the most influential members of the entertainment community. Aziz also mentions equal pay and voting rights and women’s rights. But feminism is so much more.
While I believe (or want to believe) that Jay-Z and Beyoncé are definitely feminists, I hate that those are who we think of to demonstrate feminism. If you are going to their concerts, the idea of Beyoncé cooking is not going to cross your mind. And if it does it will quickly be replaced by an image of their chef. Who you are probably imagining as a man. And that, I believe is what feminism is about.
Yes, equal pay and rights are very important to us (feminists) but the perception of women in society is equally important. The fact that many people (male and female) believe that I, as a twenty-something woman, am expected to marry and have children by the time I am thirty means that society has not progressed. IT means that people still view me as someone’s sister or daughter instead of a human being with thoughts of my own.
While I am very happy that men are recognizing women and their rights, I think that many need to look in depth at what feminism is to many women around the world. It is an important movement that is gaining massive support and the world needs to be educated on what it is.
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