Recently, I found this page on www.goodreads.com called "Quotes About Feminism." The page features 874 quotes about feminism, some of which are for and some of which are against feminism. One quote that I found to be really funny and that stood out was said by Rebecca West. West says, “I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.” There is a lot of truth to what West says here. Anytime a woman shows interests or does activities that are outside of the status quo, they are often considered a feminist. To me, these people are using feminism in a negative context. They are looking at feminism as a way of life that is abnormal or not right, which is not right in itself. Feminism isn't meant to be a movement that is up to no good; no, the purpose of feminism is to create equality for everyone. I think people say things like this as a way to sway people away from feminism. By giving feminism a negative connotation, it makes people not want to be a feminist for fear of being ostracized by society. Unfortunately, it is a powerful tool and it does work. I think the only way we can stop these people from doing this is by making them listen (in a non-violent way of course.) They need to be told in length what feminism is all about and what it stands for. Maybe then will people stop looking at feminism in a negative way.
If you girls have time, you should definitely take a look at some of these quotes. Some are funny and inspiring, while others are infuriating and ridiculous; all in all, they provide some insight into what many different people think about feminism.
Source: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/feminism
So true! I think a lot of people reject feminism based strictly on the negative connotation that society has given it, rather than actually trying to find out what it's all about.
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