Thoughtful Thursday: Feminist or not?

I have both been accused of being a Feminist and not being one. Both were not meant as a compliment. Those who called me Feminist and meant it to be a put down, considered Feminism to be outdated at best and harmful at worst. Those who considered me not to be a Feminist thought my passion for romance to be some sort of betrayal to the Feminist cause. I call myself a Feminist. Proudly so. A Feminist who reads romance and considers that genre to be Feminist, too. (Another subject for yet another post, but if you want to dive into the depths of what romance is, I can point you to the book "Beyond heaving bosoms"). 

Sadly, a lot of people seem to think that Feminism has outlived itself and is no longer necessary. There seems to be some sort of unspoken consensus among quite a few women (mind you, you don't have to be a woman to be a Feminist) that Feminism had been a necessary phase to achieve what we have today but that we do not need it any longer or even that it is something negative in this day and age. While I agree that we have achieved a lot in our fight for Equality and that we have generations of Feminists before us to thank for that, and while I also think that there is a negative side to some Feminists (be they of my generation or before that) and I do not necessarily agree with them, I also happen to believe that Feminism today is as relevant and important as it has always been.

Of course if you mainly define Feminism as being against something, i.e. patriarchal structures, oppression and so on, than you might argue that, as we overcome those things, Feminism becomes obsolete. (Even so, I don't think we have overcome those things by a long shot yet). But in my definition Feminism is not purely being against something. That is easy. Everybody can be against something. No, the hard part is being for something. That's were commitment is needed. A commitment to Equality, to wanting to be seen and treated on eye-level and a commitment to include all genders into Feminism and not advance one gender at the exclusion of another. Not an easy task but a  rewarding one I believe. And necessary, especially in this day and age.

Happy Thoughtful Thursday.