Overcoming backlash and adjusting to the times, the feminist movement is alive and strong in 2023 [column] | Local Voices

I am a feminist.

I am a feminist because I believe that all people should have equal rights and opportunities, regardless of their gender.

Feminism allows justice to thrive and, thanks to social media, people fighting for the cause can work together in ways that haven’t been seen before.

But with social media, there is also the spread of negativity and hatred. Feminists have been framed as anti-men and polarizing by certain groups, often conservative men. They see the feminist movement as a dying cause of women who are fighting against nonexistent issues.

Feminism is not dead, but it’s wounded, and it’s up to the next wave of feminists to heal it.

The title “feminist” has taken a lot of hits throughout history, and sometimes rightfully so. To fully understand the impact of the modern feminist movement, it’s important to understand where it came from.

History of movement

In the mid-1800s, according to an article on history.com, first-wave feminists began to discuss women’s rights at conferences and conventions around the country.

They began to fight for equal rights, especially the right to vote. During this time, feminists were portrayed as delusional and hysterical. Propaganda rapidly spread, displaying a variety of sexist images, and there were entire buildings set up as meeting places for those who opposed the women’s suffrage movement.

In the early 1900s, the feminist movement strengthened and eventually saw its first big win. In 1920, the 19th Amendment was adopted, granting women the right to vote. Ever since, the feminist movement has only grown.

In the 1960s, feminism shifted toward liberation for women. Women wanted to break out of the stereotypes of serving society only as housewives and providers of child care.

This led to the Equal Pay Act in 1963 and the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972, which banned legal and workplace discrimination on the basis of sex.

In 1973, feminists celebrated another win with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade, which stated that women have a constitutional right to have an abortion.

In the 1980s and 1990s, feminism shifted to a cultural focus. Following the constitutional, legislative and court victories in previous decades, women had gained significant power in society and began to redefine the definition of womanhood.

Women were given new opportunities and were welcome in spaces they hadn’t been in previous years. The phrase “girl power” was put on T-shirts and posters, reminding every girl that they have just as much power as a man.

The 2000s saw some success and some troubles. Feminism often became more performative, and was addressed within popular and mainstream media.

The phrase “humanist” began to circulate in response to the criticism that feminism is only about women. As the “humanist versus feminist” debate gained prominence, feminism began to be viewed as involving radical women who wanted to take away power from men — and this view has not diminished.

Power of social media

But then came a revolutionary technology for the feminist movement: social media. And along with social media came a wave of self-empowerment movements. Feminism moved away from a mass political agenda and became more focused on helping individuals feel a sense of love and community.

With social media came what is arguably the most influential event: the #MeToo movement (and hashtag) in 2017.

This gave women the space to speak up about times in their lives when they were abused by men and never had the opportunity to talk about it or report it.

The movement shed light on many abuse cases that involved powerful men. A 2018 analysis by The New York Times found that at least 200 prominent men lost their jobs following public allegations of sexual harassment. And nearly half of those men were succeeded by women in those jobs.

In the 2010s, feminism became more inclusive. One major flaw in feminism’s history is that, for much of it, not all people were involved in the conversation.

The words and speeches of Black women during the women’s suffrage movement were mostly erased; they were not written into the narrative. Through much of history, women of color and people with other gender identities have not been fully included in the feminist movement.

But that is changing.

Feminism today

The history of the feminist movement is flawed, but it is becoming much more inclusive. Now it works to encompass all people, regardless of race or gender identity.

A movement that began as a group of white women who were perceived as delusional for wanting the right to vote has become an ongoing mission for all people to have social, political and economic equality.

But it still faces obstacles and backlash. In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and returned decisions on abortion access to individual states. Now, for the first time since 1973, women in some states do not have the right to an abortion.

Meanwhile, according to the website Trans Legislation Tracker (translegislation.com) there has been a steep rise in state bills targeting gender-affirming health care and the rights of transgender Americans over the past year.

The power of #MeToo has diminished as some people argue that it has been overly performative and attention-seeking. According to a poll published by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2022, “a majority of men under 50 on the right, and a near majority of their Democratic counterparts, say feminism has ‘done more harm than good.’ ”

Still fighting

But this fight is not over. Feminism is not dying. There has been a sharp increase in worrisome human rights issues, and so the importance of the feminist movement becomes greater with the passage of every bill that restricts people from receiving equal protection and care from our government.

What people often don’t consider is that feminism fights for those who have been oppressed and continue to suffer limitations on their freedoms. It is the fight for all people to achieve equal rights. And because men have historically had the fewest limitations on their rights and privileges, they therefore don’t need as much attention as other groups. These groups are often minorities and women, which may give the untrue perception that the feminist movement only fights for these groups.

Due to social media and the viral nature of radical ideologies, the spread of untruths and exaggerations about extreme feminist beliefs has begun to overpower those who truly stand by what the movement is working toward.

There is always going to be a small group of radical feminists who might favor a world in which women have power over men and, though that opinion may be valid in a sense, it is not what the overall movement is defined by.

As someone who is very proud to be a feminist, I think it’s important to remember that this fight is not over. Across the world, there are endless numbers of improvements needed to ensure that all people have the same opportunities and rights. We are not fighting for issues that don’t exist, and we are not leaving men out of the conversation.

On June 30, 2022, Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black woman to serve as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Within the past year, Colombia, Chile and Mexico have decriminalized abortion. Scotland passed a law making menstrual health products available for free in public bathrooms.

In 2022, Nevada became the 21st state to implement a state-level version of an Equal Rights Amendment that protects the rights of LGBTQ+ citizens.

The feminist movement is alive. These feats may seem small in comparison to the changes made in earlier decades, but it does not diminish their impact.

With each victory, we take one step closer to a world that truly provides each and every life with the freedom of equality.

As long as there is inequality in the world, feminism will exist.

Feminism today is a thriving community of people fighting for and believing in those who need it. It is a force that will continue to adapt to the needs of marginalized groups across the world.

Saying that the movement is dead will not kill it, and it’s crucial that the upcoming generation of feminists pushes through the backlash and remembers what feminism fights for — a world in which all people of all genders have equal rights and opportunities.

Addison Journey is in the 12th grade at Manheim Township High School.