#zonerd

First of all, Chelsea and Christy, I have no personal issues with either of you and I don't really even want to get involved in an argument or take sides, I don't care about any of that. I absolutely do not mean this as an attack on anyone, and I'm not trying to argue on the internet. I just feel like this conversation fails to incorporate some super important feminist ideology. Empowerment, body positivity, self care, and girl hate are a huge part of this. Feminism is about equality, I agree. It's also about giving every women an equal opportunity to feel empowered and to take care of themselves however they see fit. No other woman (or person, really) has the right to police them as long as they aren't hurting others. What a woman chooses to do AND her motives behind that action are entirely valid and entirely her decision. Whether you want to, for example, post nude photos of yourself because you're proud of your body and it it is a form of self love for you, or if you do seek male attention (or female attention) you have every right. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be provocative and receive make attention of that's what you find empowering. Criticizing and making a mockery of another woman's nude photos is slut shaming. Nobody has the right to police another persons sex life or how they choose to portray their sexuality. Not to mention that nudity and sexuality aren't necessarily even related. We should be celebrating women's bodies, and encouraging them when they celebrate their own. Berating another woman for her appearance or personal decisions that have absolutely no effect on you is the definition of girl hate. Not to mention infantilizing other women just because you disagree with their decisions/general demeanor. The patriarchy does enough of that. Also I would hope that as a woman, if you hear a male making a misogynist comment about another woman and treating her like a sex object that your inclination would be to stick up for her as your fellow woman, regardless of who it may be, or if you consider them a friend or not. I support anyone who identifies with feminism and I encourage everyone to learn more about it. I definitely don't know everything there is to know about feminism (nor do I expect either of you to)- these are just a tiny fraction of feminist issues. I'm sure we ALL have a lot to learn and could use some research, the worst thing you can do is assume you already know everything.