With more and more celebrities, like Beyoncé, Aziz Ansari, and Emma Watson, announcing their beliefs, the importance of feminism has never been more public. Additionally, misogynistic events like the leaking of nude female celebrity pictures has also highlighted the ongoing need for feminism. Similar to racism, sexism wasn’t eradicated with the passing of a few laws. Women are still blamed for their own sexual assaults, white women are paid $.70 to a man’s dollar with women of color being paid even less, and men still feel entitled to cat call and grope random women.
While we can’t control where we are born or how we are raised, we can control some of the classes we take in college. Since most colleges require their students to take a certain amount of credits as electives, we often fill that requirement with arts or things we’re merely curious about. However, it would be well worth your while to sign up for a women’s studies class in future semesters since the fight for equality has never been stronger. Be sure to take a class that encompasses all aspects of feminism i.e. women of color, queer women, men and masculinity, etc. Having a little social justice discourse under your belt will prove very beneficial in terms of your career, social life, and personal development.
For one thing, these classes will teach you the right definition of feminism. This word has become quite a negative one these days as people think feminists want to kill men and take over the world. Only in a while male dominated society would this movement, meant to make all genders and gender identities equal, be thought of as genocidal. Simply because feminism calls for equal treatment doesn’t mean men should be obsolete. It just means that male domination is over and equal domination is the future. In a world where men have tried to regulate women’s bodies and women’s issues, feminism is more than necessary.
Additionally, the movement also fights for the unfair treatment of men in certain areas. Just like women, men experience pressures from society such as unrealistic body expectations and feminists recognize this as an important problem. Once again, feminism isn’t about male oppression. It’s about equality. In fact, it’s somewhat ridiculous to claim you’re not feminist. Do you believe in equal treatment? Yes? Then you’re a feminist. Point blank. Case closed.
Taking these classes will help you shed the ignorant beliefs society has instilled in you. No matter where you’re from, we all hold some sort of prejudice toward other kinds of people. And when we remain in the same place for a long time, those ideas are constantly reinforced until we hold them as non-negotiable truths. As with any course on social justice, a women’s studies class will shatter the unfair ideas you hold about other people. In short, it’ll help you be less of an a**hole. There’s literally no reason to believe people different than you, who cause no one any harm, are lesser beings.
Furthermore, studying feminism will open your mind up to the world. Since we bury our noses in our phones and focus only on what we want to see these days, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to what’s happening in the world around us. Murder, rape, hunger, disaster, etc. All ignored because the latest pop sensation released a new song. Feminism isn’t an American thing. Feminists fight for the struggles of women around the world and there’s never anything wrong with doing your part to save the world. If not for anyone else, then do it for yourself. Educate yourself on the world. Become a more well rounded person. There’s more to life than our 5”x6” screens.
Lastly, if you’re a guy and you study feminism, then your personal and intimate relationships with women will work so much better. You’ll learn that respecting women involves more than treating her decently. You’ll learn that just because you’re not mean to women doesn’t mean they owe you anything. You’ll learn that they certainly can do anything you can do and do it better, which is totally okay. There’s so much pressure on guys to do better than women and prove themselves as real men. If you learn that these gender roles are completely untrue, your life will be so much less stressful.
Our world isn’t perfect no matter how much we want to believe everything is fine now that women can vote. Modern oppression hides in plain sight and it’s only seen by those who are ready to see and fight it. Without the right education, even the most well intentioned of students could be ignorant to the world’s struggles. Of course, just taking one course won’t make you an expert feminist, but it will open the door to a greater understanding of the human condition. Besides, if you have some open credits, would you rather sit through a boring lecture or learn how to help people live a better life? Your choice.
