Last year was, what seemed to be, a very noisy year for feminism.
It seemed to be one of the most talked about topics across social media with global trends on Twitter such as #HeForShe and #YesAllWomen.
This, in itself, is a success. People should be talking about it.
For way too long, feminism has been an issue that has been swept under the carpet, but now there is a resurgence fighting not only what is an equality issue, but a human rights issue too.
2014 seemed to be the first year in a long time that feminism seemed to have a real voice, but the real challenge now is to act upon it.
The involvement of men in campaigns such as ‘He For She’ has to be one of the key developments for feminism of 2014.
Finally, men are starting to recognize the issues that women face and realize something needs to change.
Despite this, the support by men is still disappointingly low.
It must be realized that for an equality issue to be tackled, there needs to be action from all parties, not just the suppressed ones.
People cannot expect for the only people to tackle gay rights issues to be gay people, so why is this any different?
It is, however, important that feminists, people who want to achieve gender equality, to recognize issues men face too.
It is very easy to turn a blind eye to sexism issues men face but unequal treatment of fathers in relation to custody of children and a tendency to ignore domestic violence towards men are just two problems men do face today.
A lot of men are put off supporting feminism because they feel excluded from it themselves as their issues are ignored.
Some may argue the word ‘feminist’ is extremely outdated and to encourage more people to be a part of tackling this global issue, it could do with rebranding.
Personally, I feel this is a weak excuse men give. There are problems that
men face and men’s involvement in feminism is how these problems will be addressed and I can really see this being one of the big differences for feminism this year compared to last.
One of the main reasons that more and more people have become aware of and got involved with feminism is because of the highly influential He For She campaign, headed by Emma Watson.
Joined by a lot of other high profile
celebrities, Emma Watson has inspired millions of women and men.
She, for one, recognized it is an issue for everyone. As this campaign gains more momentum throughout 2015, we will see more action being taken, which is the key target He For She sets out for everyone.
The failed campaign to get rid of page 3 of the Sun will only add more fuel to the ever-growing flame. People have had enough.
Society does want change. 2015 will be a very interesting year, with most of the attention likely to be turned to across the pond to see how successful the start of Hilary Clinton’s campaign to be US President will go, but feminist activism will surely continue here too, only bigger and better.
The message seems to be very clear: if you support equality in the slightest, stop just sharing articles on Twitter that empower you, get out there and make a difference, because 2015 could quite possibly be an historic year for feminism.
Ralph Palmer
Agree? Disagree? Send us 400 words to badger-comment@ussu.sussex.ac.uk with your opinion!
