<p>Oh, I know that feminism is supposed to be about equality for all, but the word itself sort of goes against this ideal. However, the word suffragette means any person (male or female) who supports women’s right to vote. Language is a strange beast. </p>
<p>And I agree that the word “woman” can be construed as sexist. However, the inherent sexism behind the word has been buried behind years of history (like the word maitre’d - short hand for maitre d’hotel which means the master of the hotel) so that what it actually means (old school) and its modern definition are completely divorced. I also believe that the word woman should stay woman (instead of womyn) as a relic of our patriarchal society. It’s a bit of our history preserved in our language. It’s like a marker of our progress. This is how we used to think, but not anymore.</p>
<p>Feminism, on the other hand denotes an old idea. At least for me. It might be relevant in many areas of the world where the value of women is still denigrated, but where we are, not so much. I think egalitarianism is what we should move towards. This is my movement! (Now all I need is a flag and a t-shirt to promote it!) Advertising is a great way to look for stereotypes. Men get just as much flack, if not more, than women nowadays. Women are the capable members of the household while the men are just sloppy, lazy, ill-informed and rather childish. I push for egalitarianism because I don’t think its fair to characterize men like that. In the same vein, I’m not saying all advertising (and stereotypes) paints women positively. The recent elections show exactly how the masses think of women. Apparently they are either power-hungry harpies (Clinton) or dim-witted sex objects (Palin).</p>
<p>I’m not saying women and men are equal in modern society. Clearly men have the upperhand (looking at the Fortune 500, major political appointments/positions, salary, etc.), but I think we have shifted from a society in which we reassess our image of women to one where we are reassessing our image of what it means to be human and how the sex of our birth affects who we are. I think moving from a movement of feminism to a movement of egalitarianism would be a great cornerstone to mark that change.</p>
<p>I guess I just really like how language marks history.</p>
<p>Also, great talk about feminism: <a href=“http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/isabel_allende_tells_tales_of_passion.html[/url]”>http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/isabel_allende_tells_tales_of_passion.html</a></p>
<p>I <3 TED.</p>