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Fear of Feminism
As a young male, what did I gain from reading Lisa Maria Hogeland's "Fear of Feminism"? What could Hogeland's article teach me, and how can I adapt her essay into a discourse meaningful for others like me? Furthermore, how can I apply Hogeland's ideas to my life and to the actions I take?
As a young person today, I hold the assumption that feminism has already taken root. The days when women were expected to be housewives seem like the distant past. Nowadays, women are expected to be independent, financially and emotionally. However, Hogeland's article shows that while feminism has helped women overcome some of the problems that faced them in the past, many young women today are afraid to further the feminist cause and advance the political ideals of feminism. Reading this article forced me to face the many contradictory aspects of feminism today, especially the paradoxical portrayal of women in the media as being simultaneously sex symbols and strong, fierce competitors in a male-dominated world.
Hogeland's article also shows how closely feminism is linked with other political causes such as minority rights and gay and lesbian rights. As a young male who has been raised with a consciousness of privilege, I don't regularly incorporate discourses of oppression in to my daily life. Furthermore, I don't normally associate feminist causes with racial or other causes. "Fear of Feminism" shows that people who want to alter the status of women in society should also be concerned with raising the status of other oppressed groups.
Therefore, "Fear of Feminism" has much to teach young males like me, who assumed that feminism had already done its job, and who assumed that feminism was only about women's rights to vote, not get married, or get equal pay. I learned that young males as well as young females fear feminism because feminism entails a challenge to the status quo and a radical reworking of our worldviews.
Works Cited
Hogeland, Lisa Maria. "Fear of Feminism." Ms. Nov./Dec. 1994. Online at < http://www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca/volunteer/fearoffem.html>.
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