The opinions expressed in The Lawrentian are those of the students, faculty and community members who wrote them. The Lawrentian does not endorse any opinions piece except for the staff editorial, which represents a majority of the editorial board. The Lawrentian welcomes everyone to submit their own opinions. For the full editorial policy and parameters for submitting articles, please refer to the About section.
As a woman in a society where gender inequality is still a major issue, being a feminist is nonnegotiable. I cannot personally understand how to live in a system where I am treated as a second-class citizen without actively standing against it. However, being a feminist can be exhausting – not only because we are constantly fighting inequity, but also because the “socially acceptable feminist” is a narrow category.
While feminists are challenging a world that denies them equal rights, they must also navigate everyday life in this space. Thus, the modern feminist must maintain a double identity, toeing the line between who the patriarchy expects her to be and who the feminist movement needs. Although this duality is necessary to survive while pushing for progress, it also traps women in a web of unrealistic expectations and standards.
Women in the public eye are often held up as feminist trailblazers for their achievements, but this frames a handful of women as the face of an entire movement. In this role, they are expected to crush all misogynistic stereotypes and gender norms, which is impossible because misogyny has permeated almost every aspect of our society and distorts our worldview, even when we combat it with education.
For example, sexual liberation challenges the gendered stigmas surrounding female sexuality, normalizing the idea of women as sexual beings and arguing that a woman’s worth is not determined by her level of sexual activity. However, another core principle of feminism is that women are not merely sexual objects. While these values can coexist, they often clash in the public eye because the modern feminist is expected to constantly prove that she has liberated herself from puritanical expectations of sexuality, but also demonstrate that she is a multifaceted person who exists outside of her sexual identity. Being a female leader often means juggling multiple personas and struggling to exist between these conflicting ideals.
Women also face these double-edged swords with regards to their physical appearance. On one hand, we are supposed to reject beauty standards because we are “more than just a pretty face,” but on the other hand, we’re supposed to feel empowered to celebrate our femininity through how we present ourselves. Both of these expectations exist within a broader society where women’s appearances are still used as a measure of their value.
The fight for gender equality is complicated, and there is no streamlined process for deconstructing the patriarchy. While addressing systemic issues on an everyday level can contribute to a gradual cultural shift, policing women’s behavior to mold them into the “ideal feminist” only adds an additional burden to an already underprivileged group.