Feminism — Controversial and Misinterpreted

Feminism…a social and ideological movement that is an increasing phenomenon. But why has it caused so many disturbances? I believe that the misunderstanding of this term is the key cause.

The main meaning is that feminism is a belief and advocacy in social, economic, and political equality of the sexes. It wants to be seen in every corner of our world but these three areas are where more inequalities are seen.

Woman’s rights are the main interest but here is where I believe comes the first misunderstanding… Yes, it advocates WOMAN’s rights but the main goal is to achieve equality with both genders. It is not related to the overall power of only women.

In the past, women were visualized in a domestic life setting while men were depicted working, this started to change as men were enlisting in certain wars which surfaced the need for anyone who could fulfill workforce gaps. The women stepped in. The integration of women in everyday normal “men” activities gradually occurred.

It’s a still ongoing movement, it would seem so simple to achieve but it has been so difficult. We can still read many headlines portraying the first woman to achieve this and that…are we still so far from equality? This news is meant for inspiration but I also wonder when will the time come when there will be no such headlines because of the success of this movement.

And if we talk about feminism, empowerment cannot be left out. This is the process of becoming stronger and in control of one’s life and claiming our rights. Confidence is key.

Where?

This movement was largely originated in the West but clearly, it has expanded all around the world and South Korea is not the exemption. What inspired me to write this piece was the news of an Olympic athlete who endured an absolutely cruel blast of hatred in that country.

An San, the winner of three gold medals in these Tokyo Olympics for archery, was bombarded with hateful comments. For what? you may say. Did she do something totally disrespectful…no. It was because of her short hair!

There was public outrage in South Korea because this hairstyle was seen as a synonym of defiance of conventional norms and deemed offensive.

This caused An San to be the target of unbelievable people, who even wanted and pleaded with the government to remove her gold medals! Conservative South Korea related the term feminism with man-hating, another misunderstanding.

In my opinion, this serves as an inspiration because if An San caused so much outrage by simply having a haircut, this shows that women and men can also be criticized for something that can be related to feminism, right? We have to have the same mentality as An San and turn it into our own as we all have our own individual fights.

She said before the Olympics:

Like the ‘San’ [mountain in Korean] in my name, I will maintain a strong mentality throughout my games.

I also related the controversy with An San with the unfortunate news surrounding the Kpop artist Sully. She was predominantly known as being a member of one of the biggest and oldest girl groups in the country, “f(x)”. Her group is part of SM Entertainment, a huge entertainment company in South Korea that has a massive following.

She had always been outspoken and shared her thoughts about many woman’s rights but this was seen as controversial. And as her recognition began to increase, so did cyber-bullying. This occurred to the extent that it is believed to be one of the main reasons for her suicide.

She was mainly criticized because she didn't like to wear a bra. Do women always have to live up to standards and…wear a bra?

Because of your beliefs about women's rights, do you have to cover yourself up, wear this and that…or do you have the right to wear whatever makes you comfortable and rightfully AMAZING?

This question reminded me of an interview with Emma Watson which portrays that feminism is about the ability to choose.

In some parts of the world, we can still see women being denied education, the power to own a property, or even own a business without having a male representative.

There are still so many mountains we all have to climb to be able to get a true and equal society, and this is only regarding the sexes. There are many more injustices and inequalities. We all have the ability to stand up and participate in this movement.

You don’t have to go to marches or be active on social media about this matter, practice it in your daily life… women, and men equally. It’s time to stop being overshadowed by social prejudice.

In my case, I have always told my family that if I ever get married, in the far future, my partner and I will share the same responsibilities. I love my career, why leave it? I would love to take care of my family, and what would happen if I have kids? I would also love to have kids of my own but that does not mean I have to detach myself from other jobs, activities, and hobbies I love. Balance is key.

In Mexico, its social perspective has to do with the oh-so-boring lifestyle, if you’re a woman you are then going to be a stay-at-home mom. This has been gradually changing but not as rapidly as I’ve wanted. All I can do is share my thoughts and beliefs and practice them.

Similar to Mexico, in South Korea the term “feminism” although viewed the same may have different comprehensions and outcomes. So, what happens next? South Korea and Mexico are different countries with different situations, but understanding the true meaning of feminism is key to creating a true movement.

Another term that needs to be explored is “white-feminism”.

It’s categorized this way because it explains situations where white women deny and look over the struggles of women of color towards feminism, whose ideas can even be suppressed just because of their race. In the end, there will be new terms with feminism but the outcome has to always be the same: true gender equality above race, sexual preferences, and religion.

It’s NOT that men can only do this or women can only do that. We can all have a balanced life.

This article was written with the help of the following sites

Citations:

Borowiec, Steven. (2021, August 6) “Commentary: What’s wrong with a female athlete with short hair?” CNA, https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/san-south-korea-short-hair-athlete-olympics-2085486.

Brunell, Laura. (2021, August 27) “Feminism — Sociology.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/feminism.

Hyun Choi, Lee. (2021, August 09) “Misogynistic Hate Will Not Stop Koren Feminism.” The Nation, https://www.thenation.com/article/world/an-san-feminism-korea/.

Oxford. “Empowerment.” Lexico, https://www.lexico.com/definition/empowerment.

Soken-Huberty, Emmaline. “Types of Feminism: The Four Waves.” Human Rights Careers, https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/types-of-feminism-the-four-waves/.