Crippling the Cause

Shortly before break, waves of photos of Exonian girls holding signs in front of shirtless torsos invaded Facebook timelines, Twitter feeds and Tumblr. In those photos, students held up posters which all started with “I need feminism because…” For example, “I need feminism because feminism is humanism,” “I need feminism because no one listens to my points in class if I don’t wear lipstick” and “I need feminism because I don’t believe in slut shaming.”Many photos have been posted to the Tumblr blog “PeaNeedsFeminism,” started by The Phillips Exeter Academy Feminism Club. Despite the large web presence that the club has achieved, they have failed to clearly define what feminism is and so failed in their movement.The Feminism Club has identified general stereotypes of women and problems regarding sexist behaviors in the 21st century, but do not provide any ideas for solving the numerous issues they bring up. Feminism is not a panacea for all the objectification of women that takes place in our society. In order to solve an issue, there must be a discourse between two parties with opposing views. Posting photos on Facebook or Tumblr, however, does not lead to a productive discussion. Once in a while, a student might comment on one of these photos, “Who cares, it’s funny?” or “Suddenly I love feminism.” Then, angry Fem Club members comment, “You are extremely disrespectful,” failing to realize that other students have already become desensitized to feminism. The Fem Club members point out more issues with the inflammatory comment than they do by describing the actual issue within society. This is not a discourse.I believe that women and men should be treated as equals. I believe both men and women should be given equal human rights. However, the hard truth is that some people are unaware of the problem and phrases that begin with “I need feminism because” will not raise awareness of the current problems. People need solutions, not more problems. People need to know how changing their actions will affect others. They also need to know how their wrongful actions are harming others. If the Feminism Club truly wants to bring awareness to the issue, more people would need to be be included in the discussion of feminism, not just the members themselves. Objectification of women and unequal opportunities will not be solved if men are not discussing and debating those issues as well.There is, however, another problem with the feminism movement here at Exeter. By posting mass amounts of shirtless, sign-covered pictures, more people become annoyed with the feminism movement. All reasonable Exonians accept the fact that women need to be treated equally. They are also aware of the stereotypes that exist even here. Looking at these photos, the viewers become alienated, as if we are expected to feel guilty. This turns the viewers away from the discussion that feminism deserves.Lastly, some of the points brought up on the website seemed to be lacking in substance. One such comment was “I need feminism because no one listens to my points in class if I don’t wear lipstick.” Many students are unaware of whether a girl wears lipstick or mascara. Students are valued by their contribution to the class not whether they wear lipstick or not. Exonians know better. Feminism is necessary. The Feminism Club, however, must reconsider its methods.