XXXTREME FEMINISTA
Ellie Rodriguez
Commentary
It was not what I was expecting in a Cosmopolitan magazine.
Yes, I’ll admit it wasn’t the noblest of things
to be upset over. Honestly, it probably originated as a good idea from some editor somewhere. When I read it, however, it was just a
mildly enraging, questionable last page article.
It began with good intentions, this quiz on
the last page of Cosmo, asking me in loud font
just what type of feminist I truly was. (As if I
was hiding some deep inner level of feminism
to myself without knowing it.) The admittedly
well-designed spread boasted pictures of our
favorite TV characters who identified as feminists, or were associated with the idea of strong
powerful women. Liz Lemon, Leslie Knope,
Mindy Lahiri, Daenernys Targaryen, Peggy
from Mad Men and a handful of other admirable women smiled back at me.
And then I began the quiz.
A brief six-question query into the depths
of my feminism would surely tell me all I needed to know about the root of my ideas in equality, I had no doubt. Immediatley, I was taken
aback by the abrasive first question simply asking “Your vagina is?”
Don’t get me wrong here, I agree that female genitalia should not be stigmatized. It
allows humanity life and of course is an incredibly functional and necessary part of the
human body. However I would most certainly
not entertain the idea that my feminism stems
solely from my possession of the feminine sexual organ. It’s frustrating to think that not only
am I a feminist because I have a vagina but that
it is assumed that, as a feminist, I MUST have
a vagina. Now perhaps this little gem of a question was simply included because Cosmopolitan is a magazine that caters to women. Still, I
was raised not only by strong willed, expressive
and independent women but also, by a loving
feminist father who stressed equality and understanding. Apparently however, because of
his lack of a vagina, he was never actually a
feminist.
Unfortunately it only got worse from there,
as I was tasked with choosing between simply
tantalizing options such as responding with
jumping on a boss’ desk while shuffling his
papers and screaming “Down with the oppres-
The quiz on the last page of Cosmo featured
a stellar array of powerful, independent
women, all of them fictional. (Photo by Ellie
Rodriguez)
sor!” or, my personal favorite, naming my youknow-what after my slam poetry album.
Hoping with great fervor for a saving component of this quiz, that perhaps there’d just be
a big yellow bar at the bottom reading, “there
is no right type of feminism! Stay strong,
girl!” with a picture of Roxeanne Gay giving a
thumbs up. Alas, I was in for a deluge of disappointment.
I came to find that I was one of three types
of feminists: the “XXXTREME FEMENISTA”,
the chillaxed feminist or the self-hating woman hater.
Oh, my options were endless.
I don’t know, maybe it’s just me being your
average “XXXTREME FEMENISTA” but my
frustration finally boiled over. In a day and
age where young girls are torn between role
models who stridently oppose identifying with
the feminist movement and celebrities who
classify themselves as feminists but endorse
songs where women take a back seat to men,
a quiz of this caliber is beyond irritating. There
shouldn’t have to be some sort of holy selection
of feminism. Nor should feminism be reduced
to three brands.
The more we continue to pigeonhole feminism into rigid, stereotyped containers, the
more we make it unapproachable and alienating. While it’s great that a magazine with such a
wide reaching audience is drawing attention to
opinion5
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The secret life of an
August 2014 | hhstoday.com
feminism and strong, powerful women, such
an expression and categorization of feminism
is only hurting the movement.
A friend of mine, who also shared in the
pure delight that was this quiz, was irked by the
realization that all the women pictured as feminists were fictional characters. These “faces” of
feminism were not real, and that, in addition
to the entirety of the quiz and its results, only
drove home the idea that there is no real world,
everyday feminism.
Nowhere in this quiz was I offered the
choice of being the girl whose boyfriend opens
doors because it makes him feel chivalrous,
while also being the girl who pays for her own
movie tickets because she has a job and her
boyfriend does not. There was no “Circle here
option” for changing the radio station when
“Blurred Lines” comes on, but jamming hard
to “Talk Dirty to Me.”
Nowhere was I given hope that feminism
was a balance I could find in my everyday life.
Nowhere was I reassured that feminism isn’t
some fiery dogma to make people uncomfortable, but rather a mantra to ensure that as
people we are all offered equal opportunities.
I am a feminist because I believe in equality,
not because I believe men are pigs or women
are the superior gender. I know that’s not everyone’s reasoning for supporting the movement, but I know that those who identify with
feminism are bonded together by the idea of
equality.
So I thank you Cosmopolitan for including
an entry that will accustom more people to the
idea of feminism as a still living, not dormant,
modern idea and not the antiquated movement of previous generations. But please don’t
go about it this way.
I would’ve been more elated to see an interview with say, Mindy Kaling about what it’s
like to write about a character who is a feminist
and what it’s like to be a successful TV writer
in general as a woman. I would’ve been tickled
to see a brief about Hilary Clinton that didn’t
derail her for her choice in pants suits, but
rather talked about her hopes for young female
politicians.
Frankly, I would’ve preferred a picture of
Beyoncé just dancing.
So thanks Cosmopolitan, but no thanks.
Summer
Bummers
Vijata Patel
Entertainment Editor
Many Terriers are looking forward to telling their
friends about eventful occurances over this summer, but others have woeful tales to share.
Emil Espinal, 12
Espinal did not bank on having an emotional
breakdown at a Tire Kingdom on his vacation
to Panama City. What was meant to be an
exciting family getaway blew south when
the car Espinal’s aunt and uncle were driving
behind the family van blew a tire. The rear
right tire put the trip on hold. Once the family
sought salvation at a tire store, Espinal was so
distraught that he
accidentally
scarred his arm
against the
granite counter
of the store.
Ashley Minano, 10
Sophomore Ashley Minano wanted to end up
behind the wheel of a car. This summer, she
planned to have her permit so she could begin
the process. But instead of spending the summer blissfully driving away her troubles, she
had to retake her permit test “like 10 times”
before she got it, and the summer was lost.