If you were to ask me whether I am a feminist, I would respond with a resounding yes. I read the books, try to support other women without anything in return, and love sharing advice and tidbits that I’ve learned about life. I give good advice (or at least I think so), support gender equality in all aspects of life, and strive to be “assertive”. But if you were to believe the Internet, none of this matters because I am a prude, and therefore I can’t possibly be a feminist.
I wasn’t always a prude and have certainly posted my fair share of social media faux pas, from photos to statuses to unsupportive comments. I couldn’t care less how many sexual partners a woman has had, what they decide to wear, or what their choice in occupation is. But, and this is a big but, I don’t embrace this new trend of sharing everything in the name of feminism. Maybe this is because I grew up in a time when the Internet was still a little scary and, as open as I am, I like to have a bit of privacy. That’s not to say that I don’t encourage your right to share whatever you want, because being the good feminist I am, I believe you have that right and support your choices, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy seeing it.
Can a prude be a feminist? It depends - are you asking the Internet? #feminism Click To TweetLet me explain: I, personally, don’t want to see boobs for the sake of seeing boobs and I certainly don’t want to see these new period photos everyone is raving about. It’s not because I don’t embrace and support femininity, but because I just don’t want to see blood, period (no pun intended). And yes, I know that makes me a prude. To top it off, I’m not a Beyonce fan. Sure, she’s great and I can appreciate that, but when I voice my dislike of her music, I’m accused of being anti-sexual freedom.
And this, my friends, is the crux of the matter. Can you be a prude and still be a feminist? I say yes. Just because I don’t want my timeline bombarded with, oh, the Kylie Jenner challenge or under butt cleavage, doesn’t lessen my belief in gender equality. To paraphrase Katie at Doing Dewey, “you don’t have to flaunt your sexuality to prove that you’re a feminist, and if you do so only because society tells you to, then you’re missing the point”. To reinforce what I’m trying to say, here are a few other things I don’t enjoy seeing but that I still support:
- Videos of people being killed. Unless the family has consented, these videos should be kept private out of respect for their families. Yet, I still support police reform.
- Photos of dead animals in slaughterhouses. I already don’t eat meat, so I don’t need to see this all the time. Yet, I support animals.
- Nudist colonies. I don’t have to join one to support your choice in joining one.
- Excessive PDA. I don’t care if you’re straight, gay, bi, trans, pan, or whatever. I still don’t enjoy slurping PDA sounds in the seat behind me at the theater. Yet, I support your relationship, whatever it may be.
Hopefully, you get the point. What I’m trying to say is that the Internet is wrong – you can be a feminist and be a prude. You don’t have to embrace every single trend to support gender equality, and you certainly don’t have to enjoy it.
Of course, you’re not supposed to say this, because it’s anti-feminist.
Thoughts? Please share in the comments! And while you’re at it, say something nice about a gal pal.