Step aside, Nike shorts and Chaco shoes. The must-have fashion trend this fall? Feminism. Well, kind of.
As I’ve walked around campus this semester, I’ve noticed more nods to gender equality than ever before. The word “feminist” seems to be proudly displayed on laptops, hats, planners, clothes and even Instagram bios everywhere you turn. There’s also the classic white T-shirt (I know you’ve seen it) making a bold “free the nipple” statement with a thin, strategically placed black line and two dots. And what’s a backpack these days without a “GRL PWR” pin prominently featured?
When I noticed this trend taking over, I have to say I was pretty excited. It gave me hope that our little campus was immune to the misogyny that is running rampant outside of it. I was really enjoying seeing the world through millennial pink-colored glasses, throwing a loving smile at every person I saw supporting the cause that I care most about. That was great until one recent day in lecture hall.
“That exam totally raped me,” said some guy behind me while we waited for class to start.
After picking my jaw off the floor, I started thinking about how messed up it was that a triggering word like that was being thrown around to describe a test. We already have a staggering number of women becoming victims of sexual assault during their undergraduate careers (approximately one in four according to The New York Times). We really shouldn’t be normalizing rape so much that it becomes a part of pre-lecture small talk, I thought.
But that’s all I did: I just thought. I didn’t say anything to him because saying something would have made him, and the people around us, feel uncomfortable. It would have made me feel uncomfortable. Suddenly, my “empowered women empower women” laptop sticker lost some of its luster.
I can’t be the only one who has been talking the talk without walking the walk. It’s easy, and now apparently trendy, to call yourself a feminist, but when you’re given the chance to stand up for what you believe in, do you take it?
If we really want to create change, we have to make sacrifices. There was never any progress made by wearing a T-shirt and posting a picture. If it were that easy, we would be living in a very different world right now.
I’m not suggesting that we throw out all of our “the future is female” merch. I love the aesthetic, and surely it can’t hurt, but there’s a difference between repping the team and getting in the game.
There’s an infinite list of things you can do to act on your activism. You can read books by diverse women who know more than you. You can call your representatives and ask if they support causes that matter to you. You can donate some of your coffee budget to organizations that fight for women’s rights. Just do something.
You don’t have to go far to make a difference — some of the most important and tangible changes can happen within your circle of friends. Next time you’re hanging with the boys (or the girls) and they start “slut-shaming,” mocking or talking about women in a way you just wouldn’t want to be talked about, respectfully call them out instead of looking at your phone to avoid it. Don’t let the fear of an awkward silence trump the potential for a productive conversation.
And if, in a few weeks, months or years, the feminism fad is usurped by the next big thing, we can’t stop fighting for equality for all women. Unlike millennial pink, that will never go out of style.
Carly Breit is a UF journalism senior. Her column appears on Thursdays.
