Are You an IFeminist?

Gone are the days of the typical feminist. There are so many different kinds of feminists now they are hard to keep track of. In the past I have written about nazi feminist and radical feminist. So what is an ifeminist? The "i" stands for "individual", which means these are women that believe in the equal treatment of both women and men under the law. So they are not one sided like some of the other feminists. According to the website for ifeminists, "the core principle of individualist feminism is that all human beings have a moral and legal claim to their own persons and property". They also call this libertarian feminism.

So based on this information, I would have to say that I am an ifeminist. I never thought I would ever label myself as a feminist of any kind, until I read about this. Some of their stances on topics such as abortion rights are very open to the feminist. For instance, they state that while some ifeminists support abortion rights, others do not agree with abortion based on the thought that the developing fetus is the same as a baby that is already born and should have the same rights.

What is surprising is that ifeminism is not a new movement. It was actually started in the anti-slavery movement of the 19^th century. So why is this form of feminism barely heard of? Because the typical feminist groups are the ones hoarding the airtime with the news stations and magazines. They like to stir the pot so to speak and blow things out of proportion, then report them out of context. An example their website gives is how radical feminists constantly say how men are abusive. Yes, some are abusive but most are not. It is a fact that mainstream feminists talk about supposed claims and research, but it is actually nothing more than political mumbo jumbo. They tend to be eager to throw "supposed" facts into the ring but do not successfully back them up.

Want to know something shocking? There is actually a large following of men involved in ifeminism. Doesn't this contradict what feminism is? Not at all. Feminisms original goal was for women to have equal rights like men. However, mainstream feminists have pushed this goal aside and have decided to basically make it a woman free-for-all. They want more "supposed" equality for women but instead they end up with more rights than men. Ifeminists try to partner with men on issues to make sure equality is upheld and no one gender wins out in the end. Isn't this how it should be? If you read my article about "debunking the strong woman theory", then you may begin to put all of this together. I know I will be berated for this article, but most of the people that will make the negative comments are card carrying radical feminists. I realize that we will never see things on the same level. But don't you think it's time to take a step back and go about it a different way?

I say we should all support ifeminism. If we all begin to think in this way, then maybe we will begin to have more happy couples, families, and individuals. We should be working together on our goals, not separately to see who is best in the end. By waging war on each other, we are setting very negative examples for our children. What will happen when they are grown and the next generation in power? If we stay on this track then things will continue to spiral out of control and we will never have true equality. If women keep taking more than they should and men end up losing out, then eventually the women will be the "oppressor" and the men will fight back. At that point it would be a never ending cycle. Let's try to put an end to this now and begin working together, instead of apart. After all, in the end we all want the same rights and freedoms as everyone else.