I just read a blog post (and a subsequent website) that has inspired me to write in a way that I have not felt in a long time. None of this is judgment on anyone's beliefs or ideals, just a philosophical question.
The website Ladies Against Feminism has relaunched itself recently. Their website states, "Since 2002, LAF has refuted the follies of feminism and promoted a strong, intelligent, biblical view of womanhood. We love femininity and are delighted to share the beauties of the womanly virtues with women all over the world."
Is it impossible to be a feminine feminist? While there is no concrete definition of feminism, I choose to believe that feminism has given women a choice. The aforementioned website often claims that women were granted all the powers they needed in the Bible. While this may be true, it is our culture, not necessarily the Bible, that governs and restricts our day-to-day lives. It is for this reason that women needed to fight to get those rights that were in fact guaranteed in the Bible. While feminist movement once served to put women into the workforce, it is now allowing women to come back home. This form of feminism is called "choice feminism," and it appears to be defining the "third wave."
Within this website, the biggest assumption whose veracity could be called into question, as far as I can tell, is that one is married to a decent, loving husband. Is it possible to have "beautiful womanhood" when one is being abused and raped by her husband? Is that not submitting to his will? Should a woman be denied the pursuit of happiness because her husband thinks that studying math or science is useless for a woman? In order for women to embrace this lifestyle, she must be certain that men in her life will embrace a gentlemanly life as well.
Overall, I like their ideas. I do believe that we should be a little more modest, gracious, and polite. I would love to be able to stay at home and raise a family. But I like more the idea that we can choose to believe in these premises; we are not forced into them. And that makes "beautiful womanhood" ever more enticing.
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I've actually thought about this a lot over the past several years as I have made the transition from school to career to motherhood. I have concluded that I can't really agree with either the extreme feminists or the extreme antifeminists. Like you, I enjoy the choice to stay at home and do "girly" things, but on the other hand, if someone told me I couldn't or shouldn't vote or go to college, well, I might be out there throwing eggs at the Prime Minister with Mrs. Banks from Mary Poppins. I also get angry when people try to force me into being "equal" or "the same as" men. Because I'm different, and I choose to remain that way.
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