Feminism is a protector of true womanhood
The definition of womanhood is hard to pin down.
According to Andrew Jenson, an opinion writer for The Argonaut, womanhood is the physical ability to carry a pregnancy full term and birth a child. Womanhood, in a more simple sense, is the physical state of being a woman.
Danielle Wiley
Today it’s common to relate womanhood to the sum of physical parts. Just look at how Angelina Jolie was treated when she decided to get a double mastectomy. While many cancer survivors and their families stood behind Jolie, many went on Twitter and other social media to talk about how her decision was a waste of “great boobs,” and said Jolie was now “less of a woman.”
If women are still defined by their body parts, then they are not fully respected in society yet. Women should not feel like their body parts define who they are as an individual in the world.
Being born with a uterus, vagina and cervix instead of a penis makes you a female, not a woman. Womanhood is too broad and beautiful to be defined by such simple thoughts. This is why feminism must remain in our society.
Since the time of the suffragists, feminists have been called “man-haters,” “the destroyers of the family unit,” and a personal favorite, “women with penis envy.”
Anyone who disagrees with feminism because they decided feminists are anti-men just doesn’t understand the true definition of feminism. Merriam Webster defines feminism as “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.” That includes men.
Feminists are trying to abolish the unreachable standards society has put on today’s men and women. We can compare the ideal body image that defines womanhood to the ideal body image that defines masculinity as well. According to those standards, a real man is relatively tall, muscular and pumped with testosterone. Real women have large boobs and give birth, while real men have to lead the pack.
Masculinity is also not defined by body parts. That’s one of the main goals of feminism, to bring equality to all genders when it comes to society’s expectations and legal rights of both women and men.
There’s also the argument that feminism works against womanhood and destroys the family unit, which is “the very foundation of civilization.” Jenson believes marriage is “the sacred institution where womanhood is fully realized.” It’s safe to say the traditional family unit is changing and some believe it’s for the worse.
Yes, there are less traditional families in America today. Divorce rates are increasing steadily in the past decades and the gay rights movement is calling for marriage rights. But that’s what society does — it’s a fluid movement of ideas and beliefs that form around societal needs.
According to the Women’s Bureau, a section of the United States Department of Labor, the amount of two-income married couples rose by 31 percent in the U.S. between 1996 and 2006. The same information shows 47.5 percent of all American married couples are dual-career couples. According to Pew Research’s website, in 1989, 1.1 million fathers stayed home, but by 2012 that number rose to two million. It’s easy to see marriage is changing, whether everyone likes the idea or not. Either way, true womanhood is not realized in marriage or through motherhood.
Not every woman wants to have a child, and that’s OK. Not every woman can have a child and must seek means to adopt or undergo other medical procedures, and that’s OK too.
When feminists fight against abortion bans or try to stand up for women’s reproductive health rights, they are not trying to tear away what makes a woman a woman. Women should have the right to choose what they do with their bodies, just like men have the choice to get a vasectomy or have their insurance pay for Viagra.
Womanhood is beautiful, vast and mysterious. It’s not defined by physical capabilities, appearances or marriage status, but instead by one’s state of mind. Being a woman is complex, wonderful and powerful. Let’s hope feminists keep fighting for true womanhood on and off the University of Idaho campus for years to come.
Danielle Wiley can be reached at [email protected]
BBZZ
Sadly the progressive community wanting to support trans activism has taken word such as yours to mean anyone can decide to be a woman at any time, and there is nothing more to womanhood than a feeling. This is actually deep misogyny, that people born with the privilege or male anatomy, upbringing and societal advantage can suddenly decide they will embody womanhood is dismissive of real women, feminine struggle, and womanhood in general.