The "F Word"

After interviewing three people, I have a much better understanding about how feminists are viewed. When I asked what they thought of when they heard the word feminist, I got very similar answers. All three of them, in some way, said it is someone who has strong feelings about women’s rights but it comes with a negative connotation. One interviewee stated that they only knew extreme feminists who were very sensitive about women’s rights. A different interviewee compared feminists to vegans in that they will only do things a certain way. They all made feminists sound bad.
When I asked my three interviewees what they would think if I told them that I was a feminist or wanted to become one, I got different reactions. One person said that they wouldn't mind at all and they would support me or even become one with me. The other two people sounded like they would be uncomfortable with me becoming a feminist and sounded like they were going to throw me in the category of being an extreme feminist.
My perception of women’s studies and what it means to be a feminist are very much the same. I think that you can take the two terms as literal as you want. I think that anyone can be as little of a feminist or as much of a feminist as they want. Women’s studies is simply just an area of study and I can either be really excited about the class or just a little excited. In the end, I am participating in women’s studies, and I can become a feminist if I want. However, I do not consider myself a feminist right now because I am not active in supporting women’s rights and I do not particularly think that women get treated a lot differently than men these days.