I thought about using the “f-word” in this article. Harry Potter forced me to reconsider.
Potter fans will remember that those too cautious to speak his name use the phrase “You-Know-Who” to refer to Voldemort. Like Harry, I choose to be precise in my nomenclature and for this reason I will use the term to the full extent of its (perhaps controversial) nature: feminism.
As a self-identified feminist, I often find myself entering into discussion concerning the relevancy of feminism to a middle-class Canadian female. We’re equal already, right? In many respects, at least from my own (extremely specific) position, I believe this is true. However, feminism to me is not simply about equality. Feminism offers a lens through which to view the world.
Let’s take a look:
Last April I read an opinion article in a paper whose main points went something like this: Women must use their sexual power over men in order to get ahead in the world. This means dressing (and eating, and exercising, and make-up-ing) appropriately. Anyone who doesn’t do this (I believe the phrase was, “Naomi Wolf and her feminist sob sisters”) is just plain ignorant.
Not surprisingly, I don’t agree with this on many, many levels.
The question of self-presentation, when viewed through a feminist lens, becomes a question of self-containment. Feminism, to my mind, does not demand that feminists dress in a certain way—indeed, to move toward this seems to defeat the whole purpose of the philosophy, which for me, is self-directed choice.
The key here is the emphasis on the self: however a woman or man chooses to dress should be a self-contained decision. I don’t dress this way because my boyfriend tells me to or because my peer group says I should. I make a conscious decision as to how I wish to present myself and I dress accordingly.
This may result in a bra-burning. It may mean that I do choose to exert my sexual influence, such as it is. Perhaps it will change, over time or from day to day. Whatever the case, feminism asks that I simply choose for myself. Similarly, I may not agree with the image that the person beside me has chosen, but if it has come from a place of self-actualization, I must respect it.
Of course, image presents a challenge because it operates in a double-vision: I present myself, and others see me. Because these two aspects exist in tandem, it is hard to disentangle the outside influences from those which are self-contained. My only answer to this is that I get a feeling. I get a sick, measly, wormy feeling when, deep down, I know I’ve made a choice to present myself in a way that is not my own. Maybe that’s my conscious, or perhaps just my pig-headedness. Whatever it is, I believe a person knows the difference between their image and that of someone else.
If you don’t, well, maybe you should learn.
Recent Comments