For women in, say, Alabama, 'feminism' is a dirty word. They would never march in the streets. But although they don't think of themselves as the beneficiaries of feminism, they are.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Feminism was a dirty word for a while.
This is the real problem feminism faces. Too many people are willfully ignorant about what the word means and what the movement aims to achieve.
Feminism is a word that I identify with. The term has become synonymous with vitriolic man-hating but it needs to come back to a place where both men and women can embrace it. It is particularly important for women in developing countries.
Feminism is very much a part of a lot of my student's lives, but they're not going to march about it or take a public political stance. And I think more and more young women are claiming that they're not feminists - even though they are.
Feminism, unlike almost every other social movement, is not a struggle against a distinct oppressor - it's not the ruling class or the occupiers or the colonizers - it's against a deeply held set of beliefs and assumptions that we women, far too often, hold ourselves.
Feminism is a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.
It's tragic when people think feminism is a dirty word.
Feminism is rooted in racial rights and gender rights, and all of those things intersect, and to say that that's not something you can stand behind - it confuses me. I think it's a really great word.
Women have always been at the forefront of progressive movements. Women can be depended on when you need bodies in the streets for women's rights and human rights.
I've thought about what is an alternative word to feminism. There isn't one. It's a perfectly good word. And it can't be changed.