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Since yesterday was International Women's Day, I've decided to talk a little bit about why I am a feminist, and why I think feminism is so important in today's society.

First of all, before you roll your eyes and sigh at the idea of yet another radical feminist shouting about how oppressed she is and how unfair life is for women, think about this: do you want equal rights for everyone; male, female, or otherwise? If so, I'm sorry to tell you that you are a feminist. I know that things like cat-calling or an inappropriate comment in a club might not seem like much, but I truly believe that if we focus on tackling these smaller issues, everyday sexism will slowly become less prevalent and will, in turn, help towards tackling the larger issues.
By feminism, I am talking about second and third-wave feminism, focusing on removing the stigma from femininity, removing the stereotypes of gender roles which have been a dark cloud over society for years, and tackling the oppression of women all over the world. Third-wave feminism, in particular, attempts to rid the idea of gender binary, trying to gain respect and understanding of transgender women and non-binary people and achieving real and true equality for all.
If you consider yourself a feminist, but your ideals don't include women of colour, transgender women, lesbians or disabled women, then you are not a feminist.

One of the issues which is very prevalent in Western culture, as well as elsewhere in the world, is domestic abuse. According to the Office for National Statistics, 1.4 million women have suffered domestic abuse in 2014, which is double the amount of men! 

As this chart shows, 28% of women compared to only 15% of men have experienced some type of domestic abuse since the age of 16.
Also, on average, 2 women per week are killed by a current or former partner (source).
These statistics are worryingly high and can be linked back to the age-old idea that women are property of men, therefore men have a 'right' to hit a women if they behave in a way that displeases their partner. Whilst this is incredibly old-fashioned and outdated, years and years of this frame of mind has definitely left society with this tainted view, and it haunts many modern day relationships.

Another huge issue is female genital mutilation (FGM), mainly practised in Africa and the Middle East (you can find out more about this horrific procedure here). This violates a woman's basic human rights and is often performed on young girls against their will and for non-medical reasons. Again, this holds the idea that a woman's body is not her own. It suggests that a woman should not be able to use her body for pleasure, she is purely there to please a man and carry his children!

Forced marriage is a much bigger problem than you may think; around 15 million young girls will be forced into marriage in 2015 (source). Some of these girls can be as young as 8 years old and will be made to marry men twice, or three times their age. They will be forced to have children when their bodies aren't ready, often resulting in the death of both the girl and the baby. Every woman deserves the freedom to choose when she marries, who she marries, and when she has children. Women deserve control over their own bodies!

Rape culture is possibly at it's very worst! A UN report found that 99.3% of women in Egypt had been sexually harassed (source). In 2013, it was reported that, on average, around 85,000 women are raped each year in England and Wales alone, 400,000 women are sexually assaulted each year, and 1 in 5 women (aged 16 - 59) has experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 16 (source). Yet, some people still seem to see it as appropriate to joke about rape and call it "harmless joking" or "locker room talk."
I can't possibly stress enough that there is nothing funny about rape!
It is also common for the victim to be blamed for rape: "they were asking for it" "they said yes, then changed their mind" "they were wearing a short skirt/revealing top" - the list goes on. Only a very small fraction of reported rapes result in the rapist being convicted, this is largely due to victim blaming.
Rape is never the victims fault.

The media is constantly being slammed for it's portrayal of women, and although this may not seem as serious as some of the aforementioned issues, the media does have a huge influence on society as a whole and definitely affects the way people think. Women, and men, are held to impossible standards, with 100% of images used in fashion magazines being retouched to make the women appear slimmer, more toned, and more 'perfect' (source). Men are also held to the standard of having the perfect six pack and muscular arms and legs. However, this 'perfect' image which is held as the ideal body that all men and women should aim for is completely unattainable as it is not real! 

I could go on forever about why the fight for equality is still far from finished, there is still a very long way to go! I know there are a lot of issues I haven't covered, but the list is endless.
Stay strong and stand proud, we've come such a long way - we can do it!! 

Love to you all
Megan
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