The article “Fear of Feminism” cleared up some things I didn’t quite understand, even after taking this entire course. Why are women still so afraid of feminism? Some of it, I found from the article, could be summed up to politics. Politics help to shape a child’s psyche as they grow up, as Lisa Marie Hogeland explains. “[Y]oung women [from 1994 had] been profoundly affected by the demonization of feminism during the 12 years of Reagan and Bush - the time when they formed their understanding of political possibility and public life.” This connection makes me wonder if the respectable way the Obama family addressed feminist ideals during Obama’s 8 years in office helped to cause a surge in feminist activism, including intersecting activism, such as LGBT+ and BLM activism. It also concerns me now that we’re going into Trump’s presidency, with him having made such comments as “Grab her by the pussy,” and such figures as Tomi Lahren (perhaps the most anti-feminist female figure I’ve ever encountered) gaining power from his administration. How will young women - those who have yet to discover themselves - be affected by Trump’s presidency? After all, how can a woman who labels herself as a feminist believe she can get along in a world that shames feminism, especially when it comes from another and seemingly successful woman (Lahren)?
In addition, there is the idea that once one faces a social issue it becomes more real. Hogeland addresses this regarding women who have not experienced sexual assault, stating that by acknowledging feminism, women have to acknowledge that the bad things feminists rally against could happen to them. I believe online communities have made activism more accessible for young women. At the very least, it can act as a stepping stone from silence to full participation in feminist activities. There is a sense of anonymity that comes with online activism. Women don’t have to feel like they are putting themselves in danger in order to participate, and so, naturally, they feel safer. I know that’s where it started for me. Though most of my activism is still through online communities, I think the next steps will be to become and remain more politically knowledgable and to use that knowledge to fuel art and writing addressing social issues in the world in a way that might hit home with non-feminist people. And, again, when I’m not directly doing feminist work, I want to promote a positive sense of diversity in the work that I do to challenge negative stereotypes surrounding minority demographics.
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