Why I Am No Longer A Feminist

Feminist.org defines Feminism as the policy, practice, or advocacy of political, economic, and social equality for women. Sounds good, right? That's why I was a "Feminist" for so long. I believed, and still do believe, that women should have the same rights that men do. I am no longer a Feminist for two reasons. (1) I don't want to be affiliated with the Radical Feminists, sometimes called "Feminazis". (2) Women already have equal rights, so modern feminism is pointless.

I read an article today titled "Put On Your Bras, Shave Your Armpits, And Quit Your B****ing". I wasn't a fan of the crude way the author presented his argument, but something he said stuck out to me:

"Most feminists seem to conform to feminist stereotypes. I can usually pick out a feminist in a croud of women. She'll usually have short hair, regular pants, a regular shirt, and an unbathed look; she'll look very much like a stereotypical guy. I think why a feminist might appear like this is to make a statement that "if men can do it and be accepted, then women should be able to". How bold, to go around and look like a stereotypical guy as opposed to a stereotypical girl. Who cares.... Not every woman will share feminist ideals, so a possible argument that "if all women did it, then guys would have to respect us" isn't very realistic. If you really want to make a point, surgically remove your breasts. Or is that going too far? Feminism serves as nothing more than a wedge to further seperate the sexes, segregating men and women into cultures that wouldn't otherwise exist."

Women can vote, and the only reason why a man would get paid more than a woman is because they are doing a better job than the woman is. There is no federal law setting different wages for men and for women. The only thing that a modern day feminazi is accomplishing is looking like a stereotypical man as opposed to a stereotypical woman, and fighting to make abortion and contraceptives legal and free. (And I don't agree with abortion in all cases, so why would I associate myself with people who are supportive of it?)

I support equal rights for all races and genders, but I'm going to grow my hair out, dress girly most of the time, wear makeup, and shave my legs and armpits and everything else. Why? Because that's what I want to do. I want to look like a stereotypical female. I'm proud of being a woman. My body should not be an indicator of my political beliefs. That's the opposite of "progressive".

But by all means, if you're a woman who doesn't want to shave, then don't shave. It's your body, and you aren't harming anyone by not shaving. If you don't want to dress like a stereotypical female, then don't. Dress however you want. But don't think that refusing to shave your legs or dressing like a stereotypical man is going to give women rights that they already have. All you're doing is acknowledging the fact that there are differences between men and women and that you would rather look like a man. And that's fine if that's what you want to do, live your life the way you want to. Just don't expect anything to change because of it.