Q4Feminists: What form of feminism do you practice? What are your beliefs regarding it?

EliteSpartanRanger · 2017-04-06T01:41:06+00:00

That women should choose their lives and not have to conform to gender roles. If a woman wanted to be a SAHM go ahead. If a woman wants to be a CEO go ahead. I believe men shouldn't have to conform to gender roles either.

I realize that there are some biases in the world that exist to prevent women in STEM, men in nursing/teaching and other stereotypically gendered careers and I support systems to correct the outcomes that might be biased by these stereotypes.

I'm pro-choice.

YetAnotherCommenter · Thu Apr 6 2:55:02 2017 UTC

I want to show that many differing forms of it exist

We all know that feminism is not a monolith. The problem is that the kind/s of feminism which have power and influence within the academy, within official 'feminist' discourse and within the feminist movement are relatively narrow.

Classical Liberal and Individualist feminists have been kicked out for a long time, for example.

The only kind/s of feminism with any actual influence on "official feminism" are Radical Second Wave Feminism, Cultural Feminism, and Third Wave/Intersectional Feminism. And just for the record, all of those "postcolonial postmodern counter-hegemonic feminisms" are just variants of Intersectional Feminism and rooted in precisely the same philosophical foundations.

oignonne · 2017-04-06T05:06:37+00:00

Intersectional feminism. It includes acknowledgment that identities can overlap and exacerbate discrimination and lack of privilege in general. Men and women can both be hurt under a patriarchal system, but in different ways. The experiences of black women and white women can differ significantly. An American woman, a Syrian woman, and a Chinese woman are going to be affected by gender issues differently. A sex worker and a doctor aren't going to experience the same types of gender-related issues. Basically, I want to ensure feminism isn't just focused on issues faced by white, straight, middle and upper class Americans. We do not all face the same types of inequality. Some people have it worse, although that doesn't make it acceptable anywhere.

"Benevolent" sexism is also problematic to me. For example, deciding whether or not to show someone basic politeness (like holding open a door) based on their gender. You may be trying to be pleasant to a woman, but it can absolutely be sexist if you are making different choices towards men.

I also believe in choice. While I want to reduce pressure to conform to traditional gender roles, that does not mean no one can ever behave in a more traditional way. I just acknowledge we aren't born and raised in a vacuum and are heavily influenced by our environment. Decisions can reflect pressure to behave in a gendered way or lack of access to alternative options, rather than just simple personal choice, so it's worth addressing enforcement of gender roles.

[deleted] · 2017-04-06T04:11:06+00:00

I'm not practicing, I'm just culturally feminist.

purpleppp · 2017-04-06T08:58:04+00:00

This is the only place I call myself a feminist and it's because it best defines my views. But IRL I feel like some kind of activism is probably needed before you start calling yourself a feminist, especially as a man.

But wrt my views I'm intersectional, believing that we need to look at all the different kinds of identities a person could have and the different ways these identities disadvantage or privilege someone. This also means that I think people within minorities should have space to discuss things among themselves and are the first to listen to when it comes to certain things. These days that's mostly about Muslim women and issues specifically about being Muslim and a woman. Lots of conservative men and women love to use feminism as a way to hate on Islam but that shit don't fly. Plenty of Muslim feminists are having these kinds of important conversations and they're the ones I'm listening to first.

I'm also cautiously pro-sex. I make a point out of not being judgmental about sex acts, preferences or sex work but I do think those things are worthy of being examined and should be problematized. I won't close my eyes for exploitation and cultural pressures and influences just because it touches something as personal as sex.

Same goes for other things you could say fall under the purview of choice-feminism. I respect choices and don't think women behaving traditionally are being "unfeminist" but we need to continue discussing larger structures and culture. For example, a woman being a housewife isn't doing anything wrong but as a society we need to seriously examine why housework is still mostly done by women.

I also think we need to keep questioning gender as a social construct. I don't believe there are zero biological differences but it's best if we first try to suss out all the different ways we've created gender roles culturally and through socialization. Talking about bio-truths is just taking the easy way out and bowing out of a difficult conversation.

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ifelsedowhile · Thu Apr 6 1:30:29 2017 UTC

I'm a follower of Camille Paglia's and Christina Hoff Sommers's school of feminism!

questioningwoman · 2017-04-06T02:54:48+00:00

I support the aspects of feminism that benefit me and don't support the ones that don't. Not fair? It's a very logical response to backlashing. As things get harder and harder from both ends, I'll double down on taking my cake and eating it too.

fatchobanispliff · 2017-04-06T14:20:16+00:00

I'm not really a feminist, I just find womens history/studies interesting. I got into feminism heavily in middle school (Susan B. Anthony) and then more into radical feminism (I.E. Germaine Greer, Valerie Solanas lol) but I'm not an activist nor do I think women are especially oppressed in the first world. However, I find gender relations important and I find some behaviors and attitudes that are commonplace towards women very toxic.

[deleted] · 2017-04-07T12:36:41+00:00

Regular feminism.

Title	Q4Feminists: What form of feminism do you practice? What are your beliefs regarding it?
Author	HugMuffin
Upvotes	4
Comments	90
Date	April 6, 2017 1:25 AM UTC (9 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/PurplePillDebate
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/PurplePillDebate/comments/63pwk9/q4feminists_what_form_of_feminism_do_you_practice/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/PurplePillDebate/q4feminists-what-form-of-feminism-do-you-practice.269064 https://theredarchive.com/post/269064

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