Here's why you ARE a feminist - even if you don't know it yet...
21st century feminism is becoming somewhat of an enigma, shrouded in a clouded pane of differing opinions and attitudes towards gender equality and opportunity.
Unlike today, in decades gone by, the feminist movement was very much an exclusive club – with seats reserved for the bold and brave willing to swim upstream against the barrage of bigotry and oppression pigeon-holing women to life as second rate citizens. You were either in or you were out.
Think Millicent Fawcett, a feminist icon known for her work as a campaigner for women’s suffrage. Think Emmeline Pankhurst and her fight as the leader of the British suffragette movement to afford women the opportunity to vote. Who could deny that these great women of history were feminists? In 2018, the differentiation between the people who identify as part of the movement is far less clear-cut.
The recent study conducted by Refinery29 and CBS News, which saw 54% of the 2,093 millennial women say that they didn’t identify as feminists or the feminist movement when asked about their socio-political views shows that younger females are either no longer in touch with the core drive for equality and absolute gender parity, or they are unclear just what merits the feminist label. My bet lies with the latter.
Recently, the feminist movement has taken some flack – none more so than Germaine Greer, when she quite despicably released comments regarding rape cases often being examples of “bad sex” as oppose to violent crimes. The comments made by Greer, a supposed lynch-pin of the second-wave feminist movement, also included her call for a reduction in the punishment for rape crimes.
This sparked a nationwide debate – and as a result of her standing as a well-known feminist, these comments quite frankly dragged the movement through the mud. This, aligned with the social media mockery, could have you believe that the feminist movement was something to be ashamed of. The Sky News interview which became a mass social media meme, whereby Peter Lloyd triggered a female activist live on air by saying ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but there will always be something to offend a feminist’ causing her to absolutely lose her mind is another deterrent.
These examples could quite easily cause young, impressionable women to shy away from the feminist tag in fear of being labelled as ‘bra burning lunatics’. This is why I believe that the recent study panned out the way it did. Are we living in a world where we don’t identify as feminists, purely because we don’t truly understand what constitutes one? Are we seeing the era of the sub-conscious feminist?
The truth is that the feminist movement digs deeper than the social media meme, the barbaric comments and the extremist stigma. Feminism is a fight towards an equal voice, pay, employment and opportunity. It’s about knowing your rights and standing up for what is fair. It’s about not settling for being undermined and downtrodden.
This is what makes a feminist, and anybody who stands for these principals should indeed identify with the movement.
I struggle to believe that over half of a group consisting of over 2,000 millennial women are completely out of sync with the fight for an equal voice, rights and opportunity between men and women. For me, people have fallen out of touch with what it actually means to be a feminist – and have been scared by some of the more radical approaches to an all-inclusive movement aiming towards a world of equality. I believe there are more feminists out there than the stats will have you believe.
So yes, you are a feminist – you just don’t know it.
Want to know more? Here are the best feminist books to educate and empower:
Paola is a female activist and bestselling author with her book Saving The World. Women: The 21st Century’s Factor For Change, looking into gender inequality and oppression.
£10.49, Amazon
Author: Nimko Ali
Taboo-breaking Nimko Ali breaks the conversation on female bodies wide open, as she presents stories from women around the world and discusses issues such as Female Genital Mutilation, good and bad orgasms, the difficulties of menopause and periods and how experiences of pregnancy vary widely across communities.
Dear Ijeawele: A Feminist Manifesto In Fifteen Suggestions
£3.86, Amazon
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This is a pretty perfect place to start. If you've ever been confused about feminism and what you should think, or just want to learn a little more about the world for women and how to articulate your experiences, this heartfelt letter from Chimamanda to her daughter will lay it out for you - plain and simple.
Feminists Don't Wear Pink: and other lies
£3.86, Feminists Don't Wear Pink (and other lies), Amazon
Author: Curated by Scarlett Curtis, an essay collection of some of our most celebrated women - from outspoken celebrities we know and love like Emma Watson to the female activists leading the way for change today.
From Scarlett's captivating and grounding introduction to angry quick-read poems on the stigmas of female masturbation, and a a short history on feminist theory that is digestible, accessible and breaks down the waves of the movement across the decades, this book has a bit of everything. I guarantee you'll end up reading the full, illuminating collection, and you'll quite possibly finish it knowing more about your own personal stance than you imagined.Royalties of each copy of Feminists Don't Wear Pink (and other lies) sold go to Girl Up, the initiative UN Foundation that has changed the lives of over 80,000 women worldwide.
Slay In Your Lane
£6.40, Amazon
Authors: Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené
Covering topics from modern dating challenges to work culture and progression, this incredibly inspirational and informative guide highlights the challenges faced and spectacular waves made by black British women. An eye-opening, representative and humorous book, it's not just an educational read, but an essential one.
Everything I know About Love
7.99, Amazon
Author: Dolly Alderton
You'll blitz through this one like there's no tomorrow, but that's no excuse not to pack it for a weekend trip. Every woman I talk to finds something incredible relatable, side-splittingly hilarious and humanly heartbreaking in what is an (ultimately) uplifting, grounding and charming debut from this podcast queen and journalist extraordinaire. This autobiographic tale of the modern millennial experience will open your mind.
The Second Sex
£4.99, Amazon
Author: Simone De Beauvoir
This is essential reading for anyone studying gender, a groundbreaking psychoanalytic existentialist study of women in society that still resonates nearly 70 years after publication. Proving her intellectual equality to her beloved Sartre, De Beauvoir interrogates the way women think and hope, feel and suffer, in overwhelmingly eloquent prose. Not a light read, but a very important one, written before 'feminism' was the commonplace phrase it is in many societies today.
The Handmaid's Tale
£6.47, Amazon
Author: Margaret Atwood
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably been exposed to the brilliantly directed television adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale, but Margaret Atwood's original text still has a lot of chilling context and content to offer. A dystopian future for Western territories sees women's rights completely overhauled in the name of religion, and explores the importance of power plays in modern society. Though at times it may seem far-fetched in its gruesome events, The Handmaid's Tale draws inspiration from multiple communities around the world where atrocities and violations have occurred - as one woman who was a member of a religious cult openly discussed with GLAMOUR.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
£6.29, Amazon
Author: Maya Angelou
The essential coming-of-age story, this first book in Maya Angelou's 7-part autobiography series tracks her journey from a young female victim of racism to an articulate, dignified and proud young lady who challenges prejudice and responds to her critics. An exploration of identity through the eyes of a young black woman in America, it tackles extremely challenging and harrowing topics with grace and intelligence, showing how literacy can have a profound and lasting impact on changing one's circumstance.
The Yellow Wall Paper
£2.10, Amazon
Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
One of the most lasting representations of female descent into psychosis in history, this short story is an essential exploration of 19th Century opinions on female psychological health that has an enduring resonance. An overwhelmingly poignant tale, it has been read as one of the first key pieces of fiction to explore post-partum depression, and it's almost impossible not to be haunted by vivid visions of the dilapidated attic room.
The Power
£5.70, Amazon
Author: Naomi Alderman
Inspired by the cult dystopian feminist worlds of predecessors such as Atwood, Naomi Alderman's winner of the Bailey's Women's Prize For Fiction is an electrifying tale told through multiple voices, a stunning interpretation of a world where women literally possess a strength and power that shifts and changes the entire construct of society. With fast-pace and masterful storytelling, you'll pace through this one like there's no tomorrow, all the while questioning how you'd harness your own inner power.
I Am Malala
£6.49, Amazon
Author: Malala Yousafzai
A true inspiration, this book makes a stand for the free, quality and safe education of women worldwide, Malala's story is an eye-opening look into gender discrimination and female rights across multiple societies. See our favourite quotes from Malala for all the times she used her voice for good.
Women & Power
£5.48, Amazon
Author: Mary Beard
Classicist Mary Beard traces women in history, from mansplaining to Medusa, and discusses the gender agenda of today by uncovering the relationship of women and power. With personal anecdotes, and a whole bunch of cultural awareness, she unpacks the meaning behind 'power' as we perceive it today.
The Bell Jar
£6.47, Amazon
Author: Sylvia Plath
A quintessentially feminist tale, the fraught and emotional prose in this semi-autobiographical story of a female descent into mental illness captures perfectly the woes of a young woman as her body, experiences and world changes around her. Esther's engagements with the women surrounding her are eye-opening, and will help you question your place in society.
She Must Be Mad
£6.20, Amazon
Author: Charly Cox
Instagram poetry sensation Charly Cox translates the plights, worries, thoughts and feelings of modern women into accessible short reads of prose and poems that have you laughing, crying and questioning your own life in no time. With delicate prose that reveals the reality of coming-of-age in an overwhelmingly honest and open personal tale, it's packed full of emotion and a brilliant weekend read.
We Should All Be Feminists
£3.25, Amazon
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
So talented at expressing the realities of feminism, we couldn't resist including a second Chimamanda offering. This short essay, an adapted version of her empowering Tedx talk, discusses the definition of feminism in today's world, the integral importance of awareness and inclusivity, understanding and challenging. This is a stocking filler/secret santa/pocket-size articulation of exactly why feminism should be supported by everyone.
