Has feminism changed?  We don’t hear the rhetoric that I posted in the “No Longer in Sheep’s Garb” blog very much anymore.  Why is that?

Go back and look at the dates of those awful quotations from influential feminists.  They were made in the late 20th century – 1970s, 1980s and such….a long time ago.

Why don’t we hear much of that kind of talk anymore?  I think it’s because “It’s a done deal” – at least in the west.  We are a thoroughly feminized nation from the economy, the family and even down to the church.  Feminists have pretty much achieved their goals in the western world and are now seeking to make them international.  On September 20, 2014, a conference was conducted at the United Nations to promote international feminism and equal rights.  The goal is to engage men and boys in the promotion of feminism. The keynote speaker was an actress from a Harry Potter movie – Emma Watson.  She has been selected by the United Nations to be the Goodwill UNWoman ambassador for a new UN initiative called HeForShe.  Emma Watson launched the campaign with an emotional speech called by Vanity Fair magazine “a game changer”.  Though this accolade has been disputed by others she certainly has been given an important platform from which to launch the campaign.

She made reference to the “man-hating” image of feminists and sought to soften and update the image of feminism.   Here are a few excerpts from her speech,

“I was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women six months ago. And, the more I spoke about feminism, the more I realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop.”

 

“For the record, feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes.”

 

“Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, instead of two sets of opposing ideals. If we stop defining each other by what we are not, and start defining ourselves by who we are, we can all be freer, and this is what HeForShe is about. It’s about freedom.”

Gender on a spectrum??   Hmmm….sounds like gender androgyny to me.   Appeals to freedom are appealing to the carnal heart.  Naturally we all want to do what feels good to us and just be free to follow our own hearts.  But the Lord has a better plan.  We must learn to rely on God’s Word to guide our thoughts and impulses.  This requires tremendous trust in Him.  We must come the place of complete and absolute surrender to His will because we love Him more than we love ourselves.  The Lord must be allowed to give us our definition of gender and our roles. We do not have the freedom to create our own.

Feminism is putting on a new dress, but the spirit is the same as it has always been.  Don’t be taken by the pretty lady speaking pretty words.

References

Link to HeForShe speech: http://www.upworthy.com/her-voice-might-tremble-but-emma-watsons-message-is-strong-and-clear