that's been the whole purpose of this thread because there are many people who claim that women's rights movements are outdated and no longer necessary because women already have equal rights. After all they can vote right? That means they're equal right?
It's a stupid argument because of course women's rights movements are still needed, anyone who pays attention can see that. But the argument has a lot of supporters so here we are.
btw, when most people say feminism is no longer needed they are not talking about the word itself but the social and political movements that have been born out of that ideology and philosophy and those are the kinds of people this thread was meant to address. It was not meant to address those who get so hung up on their own perceived implications of a word's etymology that they take those implications as objective fact and claiming that they are the reason why people are against the movement instead of stopping to think that maybe different people get different implications from the term and as such one's own perceived implications of a movements label is not grounds to criticize the whole movement itself.
Well, the movement started so to change a reality, but people associated it first for a change of laws and mindset. This change of mindset was most needed, and is in general very accepted that both men and women need to have equal rights.
Now, while in paper people say equal rights are needed, there are still specifical gender roles that persist in e culture and omissions to this equality seeking in different scenarios and places.
I ll tell you something that is happening that I like a lot. Ever more so, we see more gay and queer characters in series and movies that go beyond the most caricaturisized stereotypes for them. This is more or less what feminism wants to happen but for women.
While there was a lot of uproar about equal rights for what comes to law and e queer and complains about inequality in this (as there very well needed to be and still need to be) this thing with the series seems to be happening quietly.
I have never heard or maybe I have just once heard critisizing of the bad stereotypes of queer in series and tv shows or the non existence of them, but awesomely enough, I am seeing series starting to integrate them.
I think chats about bechdel test and similar ways to make it common knowledge the issue of women portrayed in media in limited ways are very valuable and good, but the main effort should come towards supporting actual female writters for movies and series, or males or whoevers that do make the kind of material you want be seen, be seen.
There is something in advertising that says that you must try to be "for" sometng instead of "against" something.
For example, instead of doing a "war against anorexia" you start a "body health campaign". You understand what I am saying?
Organisations looking out for female rights are needed and so are campaigns to correct culture so to change the views, but more important than saying what behaviour you DONT want, is to encourage the behaviour that you DO want.
I think on the "changing people's minds" camp that would be the most effective way to approach it.
To summarize my point, I think movies like "Brave" are of the best things that can happen to make us as a society to have a more equal approach to women as people of interest.
One of the TED talks talked about this a bit. We need role models.
When I say role models I dont mean that the women need to be there and say "I am a feminist do what i do" or that men should say that, but simply quietly integrate them in the culture and the media. This is one of the best ways to educate and to change cultures, through their consumptions.
I think that on a side the insitutions need to support female writers, scriptists (or however that is called
) authors, etc, writing about things that do not directly talk about feminism, but ARE "feminism" (equality, etc)
You know what I mean?
