In 2018 the year of the woman (as this year marks the 100th year since the right to vote was given!)  it's quite odd that feminism seems to still be a bit of a taboo subject.  The kind of subject that you might bring up at a dinner party and create an awkward silence or be on the receiving end of a side eye or two.  With not only men deeming your average girl power enthusiast as a male bashing, bra wielding, shaved head bearing individual, but some women also seem to give the vibe that 'feminism' is a slightly dirty word that should be avoided at all costs. It’s a shame, because as a result the movement still seems to be depicted as a war between the sexes as opposed to a woman's human right for safety and equality.

 

Whether it be social, economic, political or reproductive rights, the rights of women are still sadly suppressed. With domestic violence, genital mutification, sextortion and many other abusive behaviours being made towards women, can we not see that we have a long standing epidemical issue? As the BBC remains under fire for gender pay inequality, why are women working the same hours, conducting the same exact roles as men, yet receiving a lower pay packet? The problem still persists and we take refuge in organisations such as TrustLaw  who detail the plight of the woman, provide vital information to the battles we continue to face to this very day, and offer amazing support,  showing that there is still so much work to be done.  

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So when we read or hear the quote 'We should all be Feminists', there is much truth to this, as we should all be fighting for equality, however only 19% of the public identify themselves as feminists, but 81% believe women should be treated as equal in every way. There still seems to be a blur between equality and feminism, when the two are simply the same derived from different perspectives. The confusion seems to be deterring women from standing up and using the term ‘feminist’, but if we could only see that every woman across the globe is affected in one way or another than we should surely stand tall too. 

 

As we continue to see a rise in pop culture, books and social media addressing feminism there is a glimmer of hope that things are continuing to move forward for us and that the taboo subject is being diluted onto our existing lifestyle. And as fashion picks up on the issue and continue to promote and manufacture wearable fashion with feminists slogans emblazoned all over. We are pleased that the media and companies such as Gucci and Missguided are paying close attention to women’s rights and the fight to empower and educate has found another avenue, however this is till a clear reminder that we still have so much work to do.

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