Tag Archives: Anti-Feminists

Feminist Are Taking Back the Sexist Hashtag #HowToSpotAFeminist and it’s Glorious

#HowToSpotAFeminist might be trending on your Twitter feed right now, but not for the reason its most recent adopter intended.

On May 3, The Blaze talk-show host Doc Thompson called for tips on #HowtoSpotaFeminist on Twitter. Though the hashtag has been around for years, it took off when Thompson sent this tweet on Sunday:

Though plenty of users tweeted anti-feminist responses, the hashtag also inspired dozens of reactions from people defending feminism:

https://twitter.com/Julia_ATC/status/595968184118812672

https://twitter.com/queenfeminist/status/595944709727465473

 

 

Calling Out Sexism | 5 Times Kristen Stewart Flew The Flag For Feminism

Paving her own path in her Converse sneakers and tight jeans, Kristen Stewart has established herself a mighty role model for young women.

She doesn’t shy away when it comes to standing her own ground, despite all the glitz, glamour, and general shallowness of the movie business. She never pretends to be something she is not.

More: Kristen Stewart Calls Out Anti-Feminists

As we all know, at a young age she was thrust into the world of the ultra famous when she was cast as Bella in the Twilight Saga.

To most in the media, her indifference and distaste for fame labelled her the moody actress. However post-Twilight, Stewart is starting to break free from this reputation. She is now the A-lister and feminist spokesperson, and it is great to see a young woman in a high-profile position speak loudly about these facts and unveil the truth of what feminism should mean.

1. Why She Hates Being Told To Smile

“I have been criticized a lot for not looking perfect in every photograph… I’m not embarrassed about it. I’m proud of it. If I took perfect pictures all the time, the people standing in the room with me, or on the carpet, would think, What an actress! What a faker! What matters to me is that the people in the room leave and say, “She was cool. She had a good time. She was honest.”

Kristen Stewart, Vanity Fair

2. Women Having To Be Cute All The Time – Not

“Being a public figure, I’m supposed to present myself in a certain way, but it’s hard and you’re never going to be able to tell people who you are through the media. It’s much easier for a guy to say what he wants and not to be cute and funny all the time, but, if you’re a strong sort of woman, you’re just, for lack of a better word, a bitch.”

Kristen Stewart, The Telegraph

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3. Reverse Feminism

“It’s silly to play the devil’s advocate when having a conversation about female roles in Hollywood, because then you’re doing this “reverse feminism” thing that has become weirdly trendy recently. I feel like some girls around my age are less inclined to say, “Of course I’m a feminist, and of course I believe in equal rights for men and women,” because there are implications that go along with the word feminist that they feel are too in-your-face or aggressive…

A lot of girls nowadays are like, “Eww, I’m not like that.” They don’t get that there’s no one particular way you have to be in order to stand for all of the things feminism stands for.”

Kristen Stewart, Wonderland

4. It’s Ridiculous To Not Be A Feminist

“[Saying you’re not feminist is] such a strange thing to say, isn’t it? Like, what do you mean? Do you not believe in equality for men and women? I think it’s a response to overly-aggressive types. There are a lot of women who feel persecuted and go on about it, and I sometimes am like, “Honestly, just relax, because now you’re going in the other direction.”

Sometimes, the loudest voice in the room isn’t necessarily the one you should listen to. By our nature alone, think about what you’re saying and say it—but don’t scream in people’s faces, because then you’re discrediting us.”

Kristen Stewart, The Daily Beast

5. Fake Girl Power Is Revolting

“The whole girl power thing is such a big deal now. There’s, like, an enormous void thathas clearly been proven — that there’s a desire to fill that … If you just change your character name from Bobby to Sue — anything where, like, a girl is punching another person in the face or being really assertive, suddenly they’re like, we’ll definitely look at Kristen Stewart to do this one. Faux girl power is really revolting.

This is a very valid point, because Stewart is saying that a female character being “powerful” is still stemming from the male idea of physical strength. Rather than women being seen as powerful and strong and worthy of powerful and strong characters on their own, female names are simply being tacked on. Adding insult to injury, it’s been proven over and over again that in most action films, the woman will still be wearing less clothes than her male counterparts.”

Kristen Stewart, Conan O’Brien Show

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Kristen Stewart Calls Out Anti-Feminists

Unfortunately, the word ‘feminist’ has a heavy, negative stigma attached to it. Despite feminism being the call for equality between the sexes (read: to make things more of a level playing field for everybody) plenty are quick to dismiss the important ideals of feminism and label its supporters as bra-burning man-haters.

It’s a shame that so many people have bought into this thought – that feminism is wrong and that feminists would like to see women become the most powerful gender (as opposed to gender equality) – but it’s a viewpoint often steeped in misogyny and the belief that women don’t deserve to be equal in the first place. And, in many cases, people being anti-feminist (or being against the word) is simply because they just don’t understand what feminism is and so they deride it instead of cracking open a dictionary.

But this doesn’t fly with those who support feminism and now Kristen Stewart is calling them out.

Speaking to The Daily Beast, the actor explains that

“[Saying you’re not feminist is] such a strange thing to say, isn’t it? Like, what do you mean? Do you not believe in equality for men and women? I think it’s a response to overly-aggressive types. There are a lot of women who feel persecuted and go on about it, and I sometimes am like, “Honestly, just relax, because now you’re going in the other direction.” Sometimes, the loudest voice in the room isn’t necessarily the one you should listen to. By our nature alone, think about what you’re saying and say it—but don’t scream in people’s faces, because then you’re discrediting us.”

She adds that roles that are “different, and complex, and not some typical, archetypal girl” are “rare” because the movie industry is “a male-dominated and driven business.”

When asked about the fact that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke’s career hit the skids after just one bad film, Stewart added that

“That’s a thing that women have to do—you must persevere. That’s what we’ve been doing. You need to make something that’s undeniably good. If a woman makes a bad movie, or does something stupid, then the door just slams shut. It’s fucked up.”

As so many of her peers speak out against feminism it’s refreshing to hear Kristen Stewart as the voice of feminist reason above it all. She’s regularly outspoken and should be commended for it. We’ll keep you posted on more of her well-reasoned thinking.

Source: The Daily Beast