“Jesus is a feminist.” My Relief Society sister said this to me as a matter of assured fact and with obvious enthusiasm.
I will go more in depth in future blog posts, but I would love to hear your thoughts and questions. Let me know in the comments below!
I thought for a moment about how the general public would react to that statement. I remembered moments when I had stated that I myself was a feminist. I typically received reactions ranging between two extremes. One was that I was praised for shunning my patriarchal oppressors who expected me to only become a lowly housewife, locked inside of some 1950s sitcom. The other reaction brought an onslaught of raised eyebrows and quizzical looks that suggested that I must be apostatizing from the Church. Sometimes I received small bursts of negativism and a prompt change of subject.
Some of these reactions startled me a bit, but I think more importantly, they motivated me to ask honest and sincere questions. I realized that when I explained what I thought and felt about women’s issues, others didn’t always agree that what I talked about was defined as feminism. So my first question, however basic, was "What is feminism?"
I noticed that there was a vast difference of opinion from not only members and nonmembers of the Church, and male or female, but it also was significant to note my environment.
There are many girls on BYU campus who are very passionate about women’s rights and equality and they proudly share their title of "feminist." I realized that most of them looked at the term in a vast sense of simply “supporting women,” which is close to how I originally defined the word. When I interned in Washington, D.C. however, people assumed that I, as a self-proclaimed feminist, was pro-abortion, a supporter of sexual freedom, and a power-hungry man-hater . . . or something like that!
I’ve come to realize that "feminism" is one of those incredibly loaded words that means something very different to each person. Some take a self-assumed definition which, as it does in most cases, causes greater confusion, contention and places distance between parties.
Since I have started claiming that I’m a feminist, I’ve decided to do some more research to try and understand within several contexts, what it is exactly that I am trying to say (a smart idea in any case, right?!).
First, for a little debrief on the history of feminism. There have been several "waves" of feminism that have each tried to accomplish different objectives.
1st wave: The first wave of feminism encompasses the initial forms of freedom for women in regards to politics and voting rights with the women’s suffrage movement.
2nd wave: The second wave of feminism was concerned with inequality and preventing discrimination between the sexes.
3rd wave: By far the most controversial wave of feminism was the third, which sought to change stereotypes of women and social perceptions of who a woman is and what defines her.
As it goes in politics, there are conservative and liberal sides within the feminist perspective. Some women want to become the dominant gender, while others simply want to support their fellow sisters in being the best they can.
There is one point that I want to emphasize. When I was talking to one of my friends (a very politically-involved Republican in D.C.) about the term "feminism," he asked, ‘So you don’t feel that men and women are equal?’ The question caught me off guard and I doubted my own stance for a minute, but then I realized that I suppose my answer is no.
I think that the equality between women and men has come a long way in a very short amount of time. This is arguably the best time in the history of the world as far as gender equality is concerned. However, that does not mean that there is freedom for every person. Some forms of oppression are very directly tied to women and there are several specific points that cause women’s issues to remain extremely relevant.
I think that the equality between women and men has come a long way in a very short amount of time. This is arguably the best time in the history of the world as far as gender equality is concerned. However, that does not mean that there is freedom for every person. Some forms of oppression are very directly tied to women and there are several specific points that cause women’s issues to remain extremely relevant.
These are four issues that I think take precedence, and I plan to write about them in later posts:
Educating Women
Human Trafficking, Sex Slavery, and Genital Mutilation
Women in Media
Self-Esteem, Emotion & Depression, and Perfectionism
There are a myriad of issues that pertain to and directly affect women. I feel that when loaded terms and phrases such as "feminism" and "gender equality" are thrown around, the uproar that the words cause end up overshadowing what the words actually indicate.
Those who say that feminism is utterly absurd typically feel that feminists are too aggressive and will jump down their throats in a discussion, and therefore it’s not worth the time to engage with them. I’ve also experienced many times those same people rolling their eyes and not taking much time to listen, even when an attempt is made to be extremely civil in discussion. While there have been several extreme groups throughout history and there are still extremists today, those extreme groups are not necessarily inclusive of every perspective.
What I fear is that when feminism is dismissed or pushed under the rug, these pressing issues are swept away with them. If we never take the time to discuss and learn about the real plights of women, we will never take action against the reality of oppression.
When we run from these issues are we not "going away also" as the Savior indicated to His disciples in John 6:67? I believe that there is a great work for us to do, and that as daughters in His Kingdom, God has endowed us with the power and responsibility to face that work. I believe that the second most important message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, after the Atonement, is the principle of freedom. John Green, my favorite historian, writer/philosopher, and advocate of empathy said, "Try to remember that the world isn’t just, because only then will we have the power to change it." Recognizing that there is room for improvement does not degrade what we have already accomplished. It is striving for Zion, which I think we could all do a little better at.
What I really think feminism is, is embracing freedom for women and treating women--including ourselves and other women around us--with dignity. While some may view feminists as radicals who only glorify women in the work field, I think that feminism cannot be all encompassing until the role of a mother is included in the empowerment of women. Mothers are leaders in their homes and in their communities. As quoted by Kid President, “The secret to changing the world? Moms”.
So would Christ be a feminist? To me He is. To me, He is the greatest supporter of women, but it depends on how we look at the word. So how will we define it? What does it mean to us? While a new wave is not necessarily in order, is a new word in order? The concept of feminism itself is still very new and in some ways fragile and I think we will only know when we take the time and the thought and the research to find out and to decide together as a community of women, men, citizens and saints.
Article and Illustration by: Normandie Luscher
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