Why We Still Need Feminism

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and ads are thin, they are what are socially seen as beautiful and that’s what young girls have to look up to, these imaginary, unrealistic beings. We learn from these things that women are continuously portrayed as sexual beings, and are not represented to be taken seriously, just to stand there and look pretty. These are just a few things of inequality and injustice happening in the U.S. today but I feel so incredibly privileged to live in a country where I am able to voice my opinions and speak for myself. I am a feminist for the women in other countries who cannot speak up or fight for what they stand for.

Stated in Borgen Magazine, child brides as young as 8 years old are being forced into marriage, women in Saudi Arabia rely on their husbands and fathers to drive them around from place to place. Women cannot fight for their country in places like the UK, Turkey, and Slovakia. Women in Afghanistan are attacked for attending school and getting an education. Too often are women and girls discriminated in health, the work force, and education. This is just a small number of issues that continue to happen, and here we are, just letting them take place. Although things are being done to help some of these problems, I think the greatest step we cant take is changing individually and knowing how important women are in our countries and all over the world. We must realize the when we push forward together for the equality of genders, that is when we will truly be able to progress as communities, societies, countries, and the world as a whole. Malala Yousafzai fought for the girls in her country and their education. She became a voice that stood for the empowerment of women and has touched and inspired so many, including me. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she knew was right even though that meant being persecuted by the terrorist groups in her country. She says, “when the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” Now is the time for us to start speaking up for the sake of the women who suffer on a daily basis. People like Malala give hope to those who have no voice or the opportunity to speak up. We need more inspiring individuals like her to move the work of equality forward.

How powerful we are shouldn’t depend on the color of our skin, where we come from, where we live and especially if we are male or female. I am a feminist for those who aren’t allowed to be, for those who aren’t allowed to voice their opinions freely, for those who aren’t allowed to pursue a career, get an education, even drive. I am a feminist for those women who are forced into marriage, who are degraded for speaking up. All girls are strong and entirely capable of so much more than they’re given credit for. Feminism isn’t about over-ruling men and taking over, it’s about being treated with the same equal respect. Although we don’t always see the lack of gender inequality right inform of our eyes especially here in the U.S., women are still getting paid less, being raped, sexually harassed, and are promoted in ways on social media that lessen our intelligence and our capability of feeling powerful and confident. Ellen page said, “I call myself a feminist when people ask me if I am, and of course I am cause its about equality, so I hope everyone is. You know you’re working in a patriarchal society when the word feminist has a weird connotation.” We need feminism today because the question “why do we need feminism?” is still being asked. Women all around us, and the world continue to be mistreated due to the fact that they are female. Their cries are going unheard and are silently suffering.