I'm sure most of you have watched or at least heard about the speech on gender equality that the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson gave just a couple of days ago, seeing as it was shared by numerous social media users (myself included), and was highly publicized and covered by different news sites. This speech was part of a special event held to start the HeForShe campaign, a campaign designed to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. The goal of this project is to create a better world for both women and men, where everyone can be free to live as they please, without any gender stereotypes to hold them back. And this all starts not only with women feeling empowered enough to stand up for their individuality, but it starts with men all around the world, taking a stand against the discrimination and mistreatment of women and girls. The problem with the gender barriers we see today lies in the perpetual ideals that are assigned to males and females. Whereas the term "male" carries around words like "tough", "emotionless", and "macho" with it, the term "female" tends to become synonymous with words such as "fragile", "irrational", and "incapable". HeForShe aims to break down these labels by urging men all over to tear away at them and finally start to live the way they truly want to, disregarding any and all thoughts that may try and tell them something they are doing isn't considered "masculine", while also halting the use of those words in relation to anything dealing with gender. The hope is for a totally neutral, totally equal view of both men and women to arise that will encourage the abilities and opportunities of all.
There are many reasons why this campaign is so revolutionary and unbelievably necessary, one being that the world we live in today has been shaped into a society that looks primarily to men for leadership and guidance. But this is exactly why it's focus is on men everywhere to start the change that will in turn give women the freedom to live as equals. Once men feel it's okay to drop the masculine act, women will then be able to drop the feminine counterpart. Once women decide that they are worth enough, men will start to see them that way. As Emma Watson put it in her speech, "If men don't have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won't feel compelled to be submissive. If men don't have to control, women won't have to be controlled." This project involves us all. It's requiring us to take a sincere look at ourselves and the world around us, and take charge in solving the problems that need to be solved.
I consider myself a feminist because I believe that there are things happening in every country around this world to women that are simply unacceptable. I consider myself a feminist because I choose to stand up for the fact that I, along with every single other person on this planet, have come from the same place and are going to end up in the same place, and are therefore complete equals, regardless of gender, race, beliefs, or any other possible factor. I don't consider myself a feminist because I believe women are better than men, I consider myself a feminist because I believe women can be just as good as men. We should all feel free to break down the gender barriers that have surrounded and trapped us for so long, and actually live the way we want to without fear of social rejection.
And I suppose that's why I decided to post this today. Because in the midst of the seemingly endless list of things I have to do, it occurred to me that there were changes to be made in the world, and I wanted to start doing my part, as well as urging others to do theirs. A lot of you may not see the point in rambling on about something like this, but I've always believed in taking a stand for what I believe in, and there are few things that I have ever believed in more than this. Don't allow your doubts and fears to hold you back any longer, because I know, just as you all do, that there's something in us that can make change happen. You can make a difference, you can be a part of a movement that has the potential to change the course of history, if we're all willing to stand up for it. Don't let the world continue down this path of immorality and inequality, become an active participant in something that the people of the future are going to read about in their history books.
You can visit www.heforshe.org and click "Accept" to start taking action. The website also offers ways in which we can all do our part, including a special sign-up for the men who want to join the cause. I'll post a link to the website below, as well as a link to the UN Women site. We all have the ability to change the world around us, and it's about darn time we took advantage of that. As the wonderful Ms. Watson put it, "If not me, who? If not now....when?".
HeForShe website:
UN Women website:
No comments:
Post a Comment