Feminism (the “F-word”) has nothing to do with man-hating. Forget the rumors and hype, feminism is simply about equal rights and opportunities for women. Sound crazy? Do you think it’s fair that a woman would get paid less for doing the same job that a man would do or that her entire value as a human being might be judged solely on her appearance? If no, then, like it or not, you’ve got a little feminism. Own it, ya F-eminist.
Gender stereotyping has gotten way out of hand, even in light of progress made towards women’s rights (or perhaps it’s the same, but only seems so egregious because it’s now more obviously ill-founded). Very few people are stupid enough to think that no woman anywhere is physically strong or that no man anywhere is emotionally expressive. Yet almost everyone makes sweeping generalizations about men and women as if their statements are absolute: all women like gossip and shopping while all men like sports and cars. It’s just not true, some do, some don’t. Get over it, already.
Who cares if men and women are generally different in some ways (i.e., you believe a stereotype is “mostly true”), these aren’t absolutes and they cannot be applied universally. If a woman is a good mathematician or if a man is a good caregiver, just respect it. Let the actions determine the value, not the gender. Move on.
Some might call a tough, no-nonsense woman a “bitch” and if so, I’ll consider it a worthy aspiration. Certain bitches were my heroines growing up; maybe I didn’t love the discipline they occasionally meted out, but I always respected them. The dictionary offers “a lewd woman” as another definition for “bitch” and that doesn’t seem bad to me. Men are often sexually expressive; must women pretend to be demure? Or how about bitch meaning “selfish” – in my experience, that’s mainly an insult of the insanely self-absorbed. Like how “selfish” people are the ones who don’t do what they’re supposed to, like, um, women serving men their dinners (selfish bitches don’t slave in the kitchen after a long day at work while their husbands lounge in front of the television). Yeah, I’m a bitch, so what?
