Feminism

I think that it is very important having many celebrities declaring themselves feminist in the public eye. It is important because not too long ago were there strict gender roles, for example women staying in and watching the kids and men going out to work. 

In the early 1900s the thought of a women working was farfetched and unnatural. A women’s job at that time was to clean, cook and look after the children but the U.S started to see a change during WWII. World War Two made many of the women have to step up and support their families and country. During this time they used iconic images like Roosie the Rivitor to show that women working in these positions wasn’t unethical but patriotic. When the men were called to war the women had to take their jobs, no matter how abnormal it was to them. Some of these jobs included mechanics, engineers, building ships and working in factories creating bombs and aircraft parts. During the war the percent of women who worked for pay increase from 25 percent to 36 percent. Women also worked in the armed forces. Over 150,000 American women served in the Women's Army Corps. These women were the first to serve in the U.S army other than nurses. All these things were the start of women gaining more independence and going against the traditional views and because of this it created a ripple affect leading to more events that eventually lead women to become CEO’S of companies and having rights just like men.  These events were very important because it setup the foundation of the rights women have today, and even though there has been a lot of progress for women there still is a lot more work to do. And seeing popular celebrities and even presidential candidates declaring themselves feminist is a step in a positive direction because they have such a large fan base and lots of people look up to them.  Beyoncé said "I've always considered myself a feminist, although I was always afraid of that word because people put so much on it when, honestly, it's very simple. It's just a person that believes in equality for men and women. Men and women balance each other out, and we have to get to a point where we are comfortable with appreciating each other." And Hilary Clinton also said "​I'm always a little bit puzzled when any woman of whatever age, but particularly a young woman, says something like, 'Well, I believe in equal rights but I'm not a feminist.' Well, a feminist is by definition someone who believes in equal rights. I'm hoping that people will not be afraid to say, that doesn't mean you hate men, it doesn't you want to separate out the world, so you're not a part of ordinary life—​that's not what it means at all! It just means that we believe that women have the same rights as men".

The fact that there is no fear in showing support for equal rights amongst celebrities shows just how far times have come. Women are no longer staying in doing stereotypical roles instead they are becoming powerful women and preaching equality whenever they can.