Men and women alike brush feminism aside as a dusty old relic that is only relevant to the bra-burning man-haters of years gone by.
But feminism is still very much an issue throughout all parts of the world. There is a huge equality gap between men and women, no matter where in the world you choose to cast your gaze.
In places such as the United States, the inequality manifests itself most clearly within the professional world. Women are paid less for performing the very same tasks as men and they are significantly less likely to be in positions of power.
And then there are many places where women lack basic human rights and are treated as less than second-class citizens. The reasons to advocate for feminism are everywhere. All you have to do is take off those rose-colored glasses and really look at the world for what it is: a world rife with gender inequality.
Recently in the U.K., politicians and celebrities have been photographed wearing T-shirts printed with the slogan “This is what a feminist looks like” in order to support the Fawcett Society, a women’s activism group. All profits made from these T-shirts support the Fawcett Society.
The message emblazoned on the T-shirt shows that anyone (women, men, aliens) can be a feminist and care about the issues that create the equality gap between men and women.
However, according to a report from the Daily Mail, the shirt was actually made by women in a sweatshop on the island of Mauritius.
These women are being paid 99 cents per hour, which is far below the minimum wage requirement on the island. These women sleep in a small and crowded room with 15 other women, ?according to the report.
The T-shirts cost only $14.39 to produce, but they are being sold at the whopping price of $71.95, just so the company can squeeze out every last penny, all in the name of feminism.
Women are exploited in the name of feminism. That is the current state of affairs.
The understanding of feminism and women’s rights issues are so convoluted that somehow it has come to be that simply by purchasing a T-shirt that hails feminism and supports equality you are also exploiting hundreds of women in a sweatshop on an island somewhere.
We need to clear the air and start talking about the elephant (read: feminist) in the room.
Feminism is not an irrelevant issue. There are thousands upon thousands of women who are exploited, and that won’t change until we stop brushing the issue aside and start talking.
johnstra@indiana.edu
