Why Feminism is Necessary (Part 1 of Many)...

    Inclusiveness has been a big talk among feminists, a notion that is the most relevant of all the aspects of feminism, in practice and in theory. "Feminism" when said, immediately sends chills down the spines of previously thought "open-minded" individuals, but why? I have heard many of my cohorts say when I just mention "women" and not "men" I am being exclusive. Even in the context of my feminist blog. Interestingly, feminism is felt to be too harsh of a word because the male-bodied people, and those who have been brainwashed by the depiction of feminism in popular media, thanks to Gloria Steinem, immediately think you are trying to make the world into a matriarchy.
    This is NOT radical feminism, especially not anarcha-feminism. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcha-feminism) It is also not my fault there are preconceived notions of what/who feminists are, but it is my duty to change them if it is my goal to accomplish feminism's goal: true equality, especially between males and females.
   There are preconceived notions of everything - you don't see vegetarians changing their name/label because everyone thinks if you are called a vegetarian you should only eat plant material and not cheese. Well, too bad ignorant people who think that, that's just the way it is! There are even people who eat fish and call themselves a vegetarian, which technically you would be a pescatarian, but the point is, just because people who are unaware of the true definition of feminism feel like I should say male and female all the time, doesn't mean I should use a different term for feminism. In fact, it's fucked up. After all these years of using that term, then all of a sudden the p.c. police comes and WHAM! feminism has to be "all-inclusive" - guess what? I hate police, especially the p.c. police and feminism is the practice of inclusiveness, because women are NOT included on the whole.

Here is why:

As a woman I am,
1) constantly cat called when I walk outside, making me feel inferior and generally bad, especially about what I wear, even if it's something unrevealing.

2) pressured to beautify myself, like shaving, wearing makeup, wearing pantyhouse - and I do not always have the luxury of defiance. I could loose my job.

3) constantly sexualized, oh, especially when I am in the middle of discussing intellectual ideas

4) ignored when I speak.

5) scared to walk outside alone at night.

6) walking the line of "too sexy" and "too plain"

7) fed images of women since birth that are unrealistic body types, and made to feel less than worthy if I do not try to follow these ideals.

8) told I need "a man to take care of me" by various people including strangers trying to hit on me and my own mother.

   As for other women, around the world, it is obvious there is not equality. Keep in mind, my experiences are those of a young woman in the United States in South Florida, a pretty liberal area. Woman across the globe are frequent victims of rape, the legal systems do not champion them even in the U.S., they are mutilated in some countries, killed at birth in others, and generally kept in fear in all areas, whether because of backwards religious beliefs or backwards political policies. This is called patriarchy. Women are not represented in government around the world, not just here, and therefore are forced to work 40hrs while pregnant and other mind-blowing atrocities that for some reason men think are the same for them......

   That is why it is called feminism and not called equality-ism or something. Say it with pride, you feminists. Don't blush with embarrassment the same way we've been taught when someone cat calls at us and we are wearing a tank-top. Men - it IS NOT EQUAL. Stop whinning about it, and understand you are not all rapists and no one thinks that, but most men are blissfully unaware bystanders. Feminism exists for a reason. Gah.