Hi All!  Welcome to another episode of The Spotlight.  I’ve got another interesting topic for you today 🙂  Yes, it’s the much talked about issue of Feminism.

But before we move on to that, did you happen to read last week’s post on The Church After Spiritual Abuse?  Do check it out if you missed it.  Would love your thoughts on it too.

Alright…  Who’s our Authour today?  She is the beautiful Ana (I am not 100% sure that that’s her name), who blogs at www.beautybeyondbones.com.  No, I’ve never seen her.  Just pictures on her blog.  Oh, and a video too.  She is one of those bloggers who loves to connect with her readers, and get personal and tell it like it is.

She’s also quite funny…or at least, you can tell she has a great sense of humour.  You totally get that from reading her take on Feminism, even though she does address some serious issues like abortion, rape, discrimination in the workplace etc.  She loves to use pictures and gifs in her posts too, which I suppose makes it more engaging for her readers.  Mehn, if I had the time.  I am trying though.

Okay, about the post – CHALLENGING FEMINISM.  First off, I have to say, I am a Feminist.  But these days, many Feminists would disown me.  Feminism seems very confused these days, and I believe that is the major contention Ana is addressing in her post.  I can relate to a lot of what she expressed, even though, it is mainly focused on Feminism in the United States.

I do have one critique though, but before I share it, I want to invite you to go over to Ava’s blog and read the post.  There are already lots of comments under it (as you can imagine), but if you feel inclined/inspired, please do like, share and comment :).  Here is an excerpt:

Lately, it’s been really weird to be a woman.

Not because of any fashion or makeup trends…although, I will say…I don’t quite understand the reemergence of the shoulder pad.

But because of all the recent hyper focus on…feminism.

The Women’s March, International Women’s Day, protests, walk outs, I mean, we get it already…

But to be honest, I am confused by the whole matter.

Women are not marginalized in the United States of America. 

What are they fighting for? Why all the anger?

Now listen, I know that this post is probably going to garner a lot of backlash, but you know what, that’s okay. I would love to hear thoughts on all sides of this issue. Truly. Every person is entitled to their own viewpoints, and I respect those feelings, even if they differ from mine. And of course, there is always room for improvement in removing some lingering issues, (representation in senior management, ensuring equal wages), but there is no attack on women…  READ MORE

Okay, so you’ve read it all, I hope!  What did you think?  Did she do a good job of addressing the issues?  What do you think about her perspective on what real Feminism should be about?  I have to stand with her on the issue of abortion.  I have written my own posts on this topic in two parts: I AM PRO-LIFE…BUT (Part One and Part Two).  Feminism shouldn’t be about being or having the same as men, but about being fully – FREE  – women!

My main critique is that someone might finish reading her post and conclude that Feminism is pointless.  It isn’t.  It’s just that Feminism is confused now.  People have hijacked the Feminist agenda to push across their own concerns (particularly the sexual revolutionaries), which may not actually reflect the experience and perspective of ALL women.  And Feminism is only Feminism if it takes into account EVERY WOMAN’s perspective.

Even though things may be great and dandy for the women in the United States, it’s quite a different story in many parts of the world.  It’s really not all that pleasant here in Nigeria…but I wouldn’t say women were being attacked per se!  Just oppressed by culture, tradition, politics and religious laws….  But my ‘just’ may not really be fair.  Part of the reason we need Feminism, is not simply to address the overt attack of women in society, but the covert attacks too, and I suppose that would be my critique on the post.  It doesn’t fully recognise the existence of covert oppression.

As usual, I would love to hear your perspective…

Photo credit: http://www.pixabay.com

If you like this post, you might like THE SPOTLIGHT: ON PERFECTIONISM, GRUMBLING AND FATHERHOOD

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