Friday, August 1, 2014

The Ogre of Feminism - Is Passion Wrong?


Feminism isn't popular.

That isn't anything new.

I can't remember one phase in my life (almost 40 years) that it would have been.

And I can't imagine it would have been popular before that either.

But why is it so important for successfull women to make sure people know and understand that they definitely aren't feminists?

They all defend the equality, they all stand for women's rights to work and wear the clothes they want to.

And this encompasses both the right to be modest, as to be inmodest.

The right to be happy as you are and seek your own way and not to be hindered by preconceptions of gender and the proper place for women.

But we are not feminists.


Why is it so important? Why to make sure everyone knows that you aren't a feminist?

Is it so bad to be passionate about your rights? And the rights of other women?

I won't ask if feminism is necessary anymore because anyone who cares about what happens outside their house knows that there are many reasons why we desperately need feminism.

I won't explain why feminism isn't dominating men and taking control over them.

Anyone can go online and read what it really is.

What I want to know why is it so wrong, so uncool, so ugly to be passionate?

Why caring is unpopular?

I'm very passionate about many things, so many that I need to have an organization of passions.

But it all stems from the same thing.

12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
Mathew 7:12 NLT

And I'm passionate about it.

Passionate enough to have gone out and done it, every day that I could have.

Passionate enough to have stood up to authorities.

Passionate enough to have participated in demonstrations.

Passionate enough to write about it.

Passionate enough to talk about to people that I know and tell them what I love, and why, and why I think they should love it too.

Why is it OK to love a nailpolish, a sweater, an ice-cream flavor, a color, a book, a movie, or a sport?

But when you love breastfeeding and want others to find it, it's enough for people to stop talking to you?

When you love God, people start avoiding you.

When you love the human rights and want them to be respected, people walk away from you.

I don't like overbearing people myself either.

But when they start talking, I listen.

Because they are passionte, and there is ALWAYS something we can learn from a passionate person.

Even if their views are completely opposite to our own.

There are three videos in this post that are all feminists, in their own way.

And you? What are you passionate about?

And the feminist question: Is is socially more acceptable for a man to be passionate about something than for a woman?

16 comments:

  1. Loved this piece. I love the glance you placed on it. I don't know if I'd call myself a feminist or and equalist. Either way, I as a woman, should be able to do the same as a male counterpart, with just as much passion, without being given labels. :-/

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  2. I was in a company where I was one female Manager out of hundreds who were male. I never thought of myself as a feminist until I found myself having to declare my passions. I am who I am, I work hard, I am good at what I do and yes, I happen to be a woman and yes, I breast feed my kids. We should embrace our differences, respect them and learn from them. People can call that whatever they want. Great post!

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  3. I am any but a feminist, I don't agree with many of the people who say we are, I agree with the comment above, we should embrace our differences, accept them as well as respect them x

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  4. To be honest I don't really get it. Feminists want to be equal with men right? Yes I totally agree, does that mean I'm a feminist? I've no idea. I don't really take any notice but I guess there are women out there fighting our corner and maybe I should take notice but it doesn't concern me at all, and by that I mean I simply don't give it a thought. This post has made me think.... thanks for that x

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  5. You are so right!! I love this post!! I love that you didn't choose to define feminism, but to focus on why being a feminist has a negative connotation!!

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  6. I am a feminist and proud and raising my boys to believe in equality for all sexes, race and religions.

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  7. Some good points raised in the blog post .x

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  8. I never thought about the subject of feminism to be honest but your post acutally made me sit down and think! Thanks!

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  9. I very recently blogged about this, and about the feminists who sometimes appear to me to use the term feminist to promote man hating. I have very recently been verbally abused by several women who called themselves feminists for choosing to be a stay at home mum. Since then, I've worked out I probably am not a feminist - but an equalist. I believe men and women should be equal and neither sex should be superior or inferior. I am all for someone with passion about their beliefs, but quite often, those (not all) who are extremely passionate forget there are people out there with different opinions and beliefs, and belittle those who chose to live their lives in a different way.

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  10. I think it's blinkered passion that puts people off? Passion with arrogance, without understanding of others? Great post, I agree with so much of what you have said, I do think it's when passion veers off into a fundamental, blinkered obsession that it shuts people out?

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  11. No I don't think so. I think it is just as acceptable for a woman to be passionate about something than a man x

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  12. I'm not a feminist and I'm not sure I'm passionate about much other than my family. I hope to bring my children up to respect other people and their rights though.

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  13. I'm a very passionate person. I am passionate about being a woman and being treated as a daughter of God. I am happy about my gender and the roles that come with it and I believe in self-improvement. Whatever label comes with that, I'll embrace it, but I don't define myself like the world does. Great post!

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  14. I don't really put labels on myself but I do teach my children that everyone in this world is equal - no matter what x

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  15. There is nothing wrong with being passionate and being a feminist, but times some feminists cross the line and become man haters, these are the ones who give both words a bad name

    JustJulie | Beauty Blog

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  16. There is nothing wrong with being passionate....I guess you just sometimes have to be careful how the passion comes across

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