First of all, Feminists, exactly like Liberals, are NOT Monolithic.

[Ripley]

There are basic premises upon which both groups of people agree.

In each group there are people who define that word very narrowly for their particular subgroup. It defies logic that so many Liberal men and women get so indignant about the way the right wing has made "Liberal" a dirty word and the Corporate run media promotes it, yet when the term "Feminist" comes up...those folks support Rush's assertion that "Feminist" means Feminazi on some level. Whether it is politics, the workforce, sports, pornography, life choices, etc.

Liberal men and women need to embrace the term and it's basic dictionary meaning. Period. If they have problems with a certain subgroup's agenda (i.e. Radical Feminists)...then address that, not ALL Feminists.

Mainstream Feminists are as varied as Mainstream Liberals.

- We do not all want to "switch roles" with men and force them to leave their careers and stay home changing diapers.

- We do not all burn our bras and claim any woman who wants to wear frilly, sexy lingerie is a sell-out.

- We do not all look down upon stay-at-home-Moms or Housewives.

- We do not all blame every man for the institution of Misogyny any more than we blame all men for the institutions of Racism and Classism.

- We do not all try to change the system in the same manner, approach, or so-called talking points.

[Finder]

1. I agree-good post

I love this group.

[Bunny]

2. Great post. Thanks.

We're as diverse as any other "group".

[efhmc]

3. Sounds reasonable to me.

[xmas74]

4. Thank you.

When I state that I am a feminist people tend to wonder where is my flannel shirt and steel-toe workboots. They cannot comprehend that someone who wears makeup and skirts can be a feminist too.
Why do I consider myself to be a feminist? I believe in equality. I don't hate men (truthfully, I tend to be a big fan of men in general). I don't want to take their jobs if they are more qualified than I am. I respect women who choose to stay at home (I wanted to but since I am a single mother it was just not an option). I have never blamed men as a group for anything-I prefer to place the blame w/ the individuals that deserve it. I like to be "girlie"-lacy lingerie is something that I enjoy wearing. And no one person is exactly the same as I am so why would I expect them to think in the exact same way?
I am a feminist. I believe that we are a more common group than anyone likes to admit. We just have to find a way around the stereotypes in order to get our true message out.