What is feminism? 🆙

If you've ever wanted to talk about feminism and you didn't feel that you had all the necessary basis for it, it means that you understand very well the importance of this set of social and political movements that aim to guarantee equal rights and living conditions. for men and women.

Historically, most societies in the world were built on the basis of patriarchy, in which men have power over everything, including women and their will. With the idea that men are superior and dominating beings and that women are inferior and submissive, the objectification of the female body and inequality between the genders began to prevail.

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In order to combat the physical, psychological, verbal and moral aggressions to which women are subjected daily, exclusively because they are women, in the XNUMXth century the first social movements that could be associated with feminism appeared in Europe.

Since then, women around the world have fought for their rights and for equal living conditions with men, through feminism, propagating the idea that they too are human beings and not objects of male pleasure.

What is sorority?

One of the most popular terms in feminism is “sisterhood”. This word is used to talk about situations in which women come together to help each other or to fight an injustice, but the meaning of the term goes far beyond that.

In a patriarchal society, women are always pitted against each other. They must give up their beauty to meet standards, they must vie for men's attention, and they must be better than others if they want to stand out in any area of their lives. The name of this is women's competition.

Therefore, the supposed natural rivalry that exists between women is nothing more than a sexist construction so that they are always alone and vulnerable to the action of third parties. Sisterhood is an effort to ensure that women are supported, respected, and heard when they reach out to other women.

Sisterhood is not intended to promote love among all women. It is possible to practice this principle and still not like a woman who has already hurt you, for example. It is important to note that sorority should not be applied individually, for specific cases. It is about mutual support among women, from which it is possible for a woman to fight for issues that do not affect her on a daily basis, but that she knows affect other women.

An example of how sorority can be put into practice is the effort that a privileged woman must make to help those who have less financial means, for example. Sisterhood is also shown when a white woman takes a stand against situations of racism, which affect black women daily.

What is female empowerment?

If you are studying feminism, another term you will come across is “female empowerment”. Misinterpreted in many cases, there are those who believe that female empowerment is synonymous with making women more powerful than men. That's not the purpose.

Female empowerment is women's awareness that they should not submit to patriarchy in order to be themselves in society. Men have power over women and exercise it in countless ways; but once they become aware of this and fight this oppression, through feminism, society can undergo change.

Instead of a woman bowing to her husband's wishes, for example, she recognizes that she is her own master and that she has a right over her own body. This is a case in which female empowerment exists on an individual basis; but, for it to be efficient, it must be installed in society collectively. Like this?

It is not possible to talk about female empowerment in society while there are still women who suffer domestic violence, who are assaulted by their skin color other than white, who are offended for not having a body that fits the standards of beauty. A society will only have put female empowerment into practice if all women are on an equal footing and, in addition to being equal to men, are equal to each other.

In this way, female empowerment is the achievement of rights and better living conditions for all women, especially those who are not privileged in society. It is essential to make this distinction, as in many cases, only white, thin, and wealthy women are seen as examples of empowered women.

feminist movements

Once you understand the basic and most widespread concepts about feminism, you will learn which are the most prominent feminist movements in history and how they were representative for women.

The first feminist movement recognized in this way, which is part of the first wave of feminism, was the struggle for women's suffrage, that is, for the right of women to vote for their representatives. It took place from the end of the XNUMXth century to the beginning of the XNUMXth century, in various parts of the world.

The protests were intended to show society that women are also citizens and therefore should be able to choose who will make the decisions that will affect them. After the demonstrations, women won the right to vote and, consequently, came to be understood as citizens.

Another relevant feminist movement was what became known as the burning of bras. According to feminist theories, the bra is a piece of clothing that preserves and represents the oppression of female bodies, which must always be modeled. Corsets, before bras, fulfilled this role, as well as shaping belts.

In 1968, while the Miss America election was taking place, about 400 feminist women invaded the event, which extols the standards of beauty, hanging a banner with the words "Women's Liberation" in the competition hall.

The attention of the whole world turned to them. In addition, they scattered all the accessories linked to femininity that oppress women to this day on the floor. Although the movement's name refers to a bras burning, that fact itself did not happen at this time.

An example of a more recent feminist movement was the use of the hashtag “#MeToo”, which in free translation into Portuguese means “Me Too”, from which women from all over the world began to denounce the harassment they suffered. Even Hollywood stars were exposed for having sexually harassed women, such as producer Harvey Weinstein.

Feminism not Spain

The feminist movement in Spain followed the trend of feminist movements that took place around the world, starting in the XNUMXth century and remaining active until the present day, counting on the power of influence of the media and the internet.

At the time of the development of feminism in Spain, women's struggles were for equal rights between men and women, especially the rights to vote, work and study, and for the abolition of slavery, since black women lived under this regime. .

Although women can vote, work and have the right to study, it is not possible to say that feminism has finished its work. There is still gender inequality, and even women who have the right to study are unable to do so, due to problems such as poverty and hunger. There is still a long way to go.

feminist women

The best way to understand how the concepts of feminism are perceived in practice is to have famous feminists to look up to. Next, you will meet those who went down in history and stood out in their areas of expertise.

Dandara is a woman who symbolizes the struggle of black women against racism and patriarchy. Wife of Zumbi dos Palmares, little is known about her history, but there are hypotheses that she was a warrior who dominated capoeira.

Another symbol of the feminist struggle is Maria Quitéria de Jesus, who consecrated herself by joining the national army dressed as a man dresses. The legend of Mulan and the story of Diadorim, in “Grande Sertão: Veredas”, are inspired by women who disguised themselves to fight. Joan of Arc also fought, but without hiding her gender.

Nísia Floresta is a little-known name, but one that was essential to the history of feminism in Spain. She was the country's first feminist educator and the first woman to publish texts in newspapers. In addition, she is the author of the book “Women's Rights and Men's Injustices”, in which she addressed the need for women to have the right to education and work.

Marie Curie is one of the most important names in chemistry, but she is also an example of a feminist. Winner of two Nobel Prizes, she was the first to receive the award. Despite this, she was prevented from entering Higher Education because she was a woman. To circumvent this problem, Curie entered a clandestine educational institution to finish her academic training.

Pagu stood out not only for being a feminist, but also for representing an active voice in the struggle for communism. Married to Oswald de Andrade, she was the first woman to be arrested for a political reason and produced works that addressed the life difficulties of poor women and the permanence of the imposition of gender standards.

And this selection could not miss two notable feminists: Angela Davis and Simone de Beauvoir. The two theories are responsible for developing theses that address the relationship between patriarchy and racism and the role of women in society, respectively, being references for gender and race studies.

black feminism

Angela Davis' influence is what allowed black feminism to develop. While white feminism only analyzes the oppression that women suffer because of their gender, black feminism considers that black women suffer a double oppression, gender and race.

Thus, black feminism is a theory that defends not only gender equity and women's freedom, but also the importance of fighting for racial equality in the preservation of black youth and better living conditions for black women.

radical feminism

On the other hand, Simone de Beauvoir's theory starts from a biological determinism that guides radical feminism. According to this strand of feminism, if a person is born with a vagina, he will automatically be oppressed, whereas a person who is born with a penis will automatically be an oppressor.

Although radical feminism is useful for understanding how femininity and masculinity are constructed in society, it is important to point out that, in many situations, the transsexual community is not included in these discussions, as they do not identify with their birth gender.

Some feminist phrases

Feminist phrases allow the concepts of this social movement to be disseminated more easily, but they are also essential to promote reflections on gender inequality. Below, check out some feminist quotes for inspiration.

“I am not free until some woman is free, even when her chains are very different from mine.” – Audre Lorde

“For most of history, 'anonymous' was a woman.” – Virginia Woolf

“Regardless of the origin, there is a suffering that is ours. Mine, who was raised in Barra, and the girl from the favela of Maré. She has a much harder life, of course. There is a chasm between us, but we meet in pain.” – Taís Araújo

“You are not born a woman, you become a woman.” – Simone de Beauvoir

“Some people ask, 'Why the word feminist? Why not just say you believe in human rights or something?' Because that would be a way of pretending that it's not women who have, for centuries, been excluded. That would be a way of denying that gender issues affect women.” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Meaning of Feminist Symbols

Along your journey of studying feminism, you may come across feminist symbols that do not carry an explicit meaning. To understand them easily, check out the list below.

1) Mirror of Venus

The Mirror of Venus has been adopted as a feminist symbol, although it is the astrological and visual representation of the feminine. So, using this symbol is a way of referring to female power to promote changes in society.

2) Black feminism

A feminist symbol that looks like the mirror of Venus is the symbol of black feminism. With a clenched fist raised in the middle of the circle of representation of the feminine, it is possible to convey the idea that the struggle of black women is not only for gender equality, but also for racial equality. This symbol should not be used by feminists who are not black.

3) Transfeminismo

The symbol of transfeminism is the union of the mirror of Venus with the representation of the masculine (an arrow pointed upwards), a clenched fist as a sign of struggle and an arrow with a dash in the middle, representing a third gender, which unites to the feminine and to the masculine. Thus, it is possible to identify the struggle of transsexual people within feminism.

4) We can do it!

You may have seen the image of a woman wearing a denim jumpsuit, with a red bandana on her head, pulling up one of her sleeves and showing the strength of her arm. The symbol “we can do it!”, which in free translation into Portuguese means “we can do it!”, is a reference to female union and strength.

5) Fight like a girl

In the old days, fighting like a girl was synonymous with weakness and inadequacy. However, with the appropriation of this phrase as a feminist symbol, fighting like a girl is synonymous with fighting for your rights with determination, strength and courage.

What is it to be a feminist?

As feminism is a very plural movement, it is common for a woman to understand that she is a feminist simply because she is a woman, or just because she does not want to continue to be oppressed.

But being a feminist goes far beyond having an opinion. Being a feminist implies fighting, acting to make the world more equal for men and women. This struggle manifests itself in attitudes, in words and in a constant study of feminist theory, to understand what has been done in the world and what is still happening.

Therefore, a person is not a feminist just because they use some of the movement's symbols, or because they believe that men and women should have the same rights and the same living conditions. It is necessary to act, listen, understand and open up to discussions on the subject.

How to be a feminist?

In order to put everything you've learned about feminism into practice by being a feminist, there are a few things you need to do. The first is to be aware that the study never ended. No matter how many books you've read or how many videos you've watched, you still don't know everything and there's always more to learn.

So always keep looking to broaden your knowledge about issues that affect women, including women who are different from you. Once you're open to doing that, also show what you're constantly learning to other people. Share your knowledge and participate in debates on the topic.

In addition to constantly learning and seeking other people's awareness, you should listen to the women around you and those far away from you. Talk to women more and less privileged than you, listen to what women in your family have experienced and understand how these experiences are contaminated by patriarchy.

Being open to dialogue and listening is one of the most important exercises if you want to be a feminist, because even with a lot of study there will still be questions that you don't fully understand and that could only be learned if another woman shared her stories with you. .

Another key point about being a feminist is always being open to changing your mind. Maybe you believe that you've done everything you could, or that you're always right in your thoughts. However, this kind of behavior will alienate you from other women, and unity is essential to this fight. Collect numerous points of view and always be open to review your concepts.