“Who Needs Feminism” is an awesome project, a branch of which is going on at my school right now.
Who Needs Feminism is a photo campaign, started at Duke University last spring, aimed to start conversations about feminism and its continuing relevance today.
I love that bit about “continuing relevance”. Because it’s my belief that feminism is still very relevant and very important. It’s also my belief that feminism should not be a dirty word, or a scary one. I love this campaign for the way that it brings up so many valid reasons for feminism’s importance in a non-judgemental, unaggressive way. I find it’s such an accessible campaign, it can be read without feeling attacked or blamed. It’s just a wonderful way to get the message across.
I took photos with a few friends last night, and sent them in. Hopefully they’ll be up on the website soon! Until then, take a look at all the other submissions, they’re really wonderful.
Besides the statement in the above photo, I could have said any number of other reasons. Here are some others I was considering:
I need feminism because I pay for cabs instead of walking home, even when I’m totally sober and capable.
I need feminism because only roughly 1/3 of the characters in popular media are female.
I need feminism because there exist subreddits that are devoted to glorifying/fetishizing the beating, raping and even killing of women.
I need feminism because I want there to be more positive female role models in the public eye than there currently are.
I need feminism because women make up only 3/250 top CEOs, 1/22 Canadian Prime Ministers, and 0/44 American Presidents.
I need feminism because I don’t want me or my younger sisters to be held to unreasonable standards of Barbie doll beauty.
I need feminism because I sometimes don’t tell people I’m minoring in Women’s Studies, because I don’t feel like dealing with their looks or questions.
I need feminism because society still preaches “don’t get raped” more than “don’t rape”.
I need feminism because the pay gap still exists! And it is absurd.
I need feminism because people think we don’t need feminism anymore.
______________
Some of those overlap with submissions on the website, but that doesn’t make them any less true! Also – I’d love to hear your answers. Or better yet, take a photo and submit it either to the McGill chapter or the original campaign.
So, why do you need feminism?
