"Fear of Feminism"

"Fear of Feminism"

written by Lisa Maria Hogland

Argument: I feel as though the author's main points when writing this is to convey the impact that society and "political correctness", for lack of a better term, has on young women and the way they are influenced from a young age.  One of the things the author specifically stressed was the fact that girls/women fear feminism because it has been painted as an awful thing by society, particularly over the past 15-20 years.  A few of her points included the idea that being feminist somehow correlates to lesbianism, and that in the same respect, adopting feminist beliefs can hurt their appeal to men.  This fear is reinforced by stereotypes and even by the way it is portrayed in the media.

The entire reading is interesting, as it talks in great detail about the benefits of adopting feminism for girls and the fact that it can help them to develop a strong sense of self and identity.  At the same time, it acknowledges the risks that come along with it and stresses that these risks need to be made clear to young women so they can make the best choices for themselves.

Video: I think the video is really interesting because the man in the video talks in great detail about feminism and the perception of it.  He also, at the same time, talks about the way that many ideologies lead people to think in other directions.  While he doesn't necessarily directly agree with all the ideologies, he points out how important it is to have knowledge and for people to be able to understand, especially when it comes to certain topics.  I think the video points out well (in some capacities) about what the author says in the sense that these things shouldn't be feared and should be openly talked about.

  

In summary, I think the article was an interesting read and the author poses a lot of valid points.  It isn't just applicable to feminism, either, but rather society as a whole.  It's a "bigger picture" issue about the way society causes people to fear being themselves and expressing their beliefs because of possible outcry that they can receive as a result.  There is a lot to take from it even if you aren't necessarily a supporter of feminism as a whole.