Response to Question B

            The term “Feminism” seems to be considered a taboo topic in society, and has obtained many negative connotations.  There are various myths associated with Feminist, such as, man-haters, radical, aggressive, angry lesbians, bra-burners (a term invented by the media), loud and obnoxious.  Yes there may be a few Feminist who could be characterized by one of these myths, however, majority are a false portrayal of what a feminist is.

            Feminism, in my opinion, could be defined as any male or female who agrees that all genders should be treated equally in all ways, and strongly believes that any form of sexism should be eradicated. Gaining equality for all, and making a change in a society is a hard task.   Some feminists might feel the need to be loud and aggressive to make sure their opinion is heard, in hopes of making a change regarding women’s rights.  I would define myself as a passive feminist.  I simply believe that all women deserve respect, and be considered for every opportunity that a man has fairly.  A woman should never feel she is not good enough because of her gender.

            I am not sure if feminism is on the decline, because there will always be some fighters left.  I do believe that feminism is becoming less of a “dirty” word, and more people are beginning to understand what feminism, and feminists are fighting for.  Over the past few decades many huge changes have been made in favor of women rights, and more recently women are beginning to gain positions and opportunities that previously only men could. Ultimately, I feel there have been some large steps in the right direction; however, there is still work to be done to gain complete equality for women. 

            A big obstacle in reaching this goal is the resistance to embrace feminism by entire communities. Although the term is becoming less “dirty”, there are still many believed negative connotations, and stereotypes related to feminism.  Some fear the power of women, and want to keep their existing power over women.  The media also does not help the image of women, and displays the stereotypes of women and feminist more than not.  Yet, with effort, and willpower any change is possible.