Feminism is often a grossly misrepresented issue in contemporary society. As discussed in class, usually the word "Feminist" is enough to evoke images of burning bras, and is often tied to radical and man-hating notions. That being said, it was refreshing to see a documentary that was able to properly portray feminism as a much larger issue that goes far beyond the arbitrary idea of 'men versus women" seen so often in media. Many of the issues raised in the film about the consequences of a society that projects the idea of women as second-class citizens are not only serious, but still pervasive in society today.
Furthermore, one thing that really set this documentary apart was its ability to be conclusive to every side of this multi-dimensional issue without taking away from the main message. For instance, the speakers, while predominately women, also included men, as well as varying age groups. The diversity of speakers exemplified the idea of the issue at hand being an all-inclusive one that covers more than just one spectrum of society. Using examples of the way in which gender roles are imposed about men, but also delineating the differences of the two gender roles, was also a great way to take the issue beyond a narrow scope.
I think that the first step (and unfortunately something that many refuse to do) is acknowledging that these issues are still relevant today, and that while progression has been made, there's still a long way to go in achieving true gender equality. This documentary, and many others like it, hopefully will work to make evident the urgency of this issue and the fact that feminism isn’t the equivalent of an angry mob of barbaric women trying to eradicate men from society. Overall, the documentary was informative and touching, and took an accurately collective stance on women’s struggles in society.
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