"Feminism isn't about making women strong. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength." —G.D. Anderson
This is exactly how I would define feminism. Unfortunately, it is slowly growing out of control, as some women are drifting away from the initial aim of feminism, which is equal rights for all, genders aside. I have read a lot of remarks on social media that speak in the name of feminism but do nothing but incite hate. Some movements like #FreeTheNipple are no better, as they vandalize and deface the image that people who are seeking equal rights are giving. This is not how and why feminism started out. So I'm going back to the very core of it: allowing women to have the same weight as men in our society.
You might be thinking why would a man write down a whole article about female empowerment. Well, my mother works 10+ hours a day to allow my family and I to live comfortably. She is currently working as a CEO and her strong personality as well as her attitude at work are what made me admire her so much. She has a thing for leadership and a lot of people respect her. She made me realize how capable and knowledgeable women can be, and how well they could manage the positions "men" usually fill. This is why I became a strong supporter of female empowerment.
Moving back to our main subject, women have, for a long time, been in a disadvantageous situation, suffering from the wrongdoings of history and the unchanged mindset of some men towards "modern women". They have been seen as a mere satisfaction tool for men but, since the 19th-20th century, their wrath had reached its climax. Their journey for equal rights started with the likes of Emmeline Pankhurst and Frida Kahlo. Nowadays, the situation has improved but the battle isn't over. Indeed, women represent approximately 40% of the labor force, and less than 25% in some conservative areas! However, numbers have shown that in those particular countries, girls seem to outperform boys at an academic level! Nonetheless, women are still treated as inferior to men in a lot of countries, as they can be paid up to 48% less than males. This is all to show that, despite the efforts and improvements we've got to so far, we're not half done yet.
From a student's point of view, achieving gender equality hinges on education and awareness, as they build the base of oneself and immensely influence their mentalities. From their youngest age, children should be taught that men and women are born equal in rights, not only in history classes but through regular interventions that will talk about the history of gender equality and feminism. This would be a great first step, because there's no better way to build a great new generation than to prepare its children for the adult life. By establishing a feeling of mutual trust between the two genders, future women would be encouraged to climb higher and to thrive for more.
Unfortunately, that is not enough, because we must have a viable legal framework regarding this subject. Laws on gender equality exist, but they are not being enforced correctly. The political support is vital for the realization of gender equity and therefore the fulfillment of feminism' primary goal.
However, nowadays, we're witnessing the rise of radical feminism, which is drifting from the movement's goals to promote misandry. All sorts of mediums are used, including social media and newspapers. This is not admissible. This is not how we can achieve equality. On the contrary, this increases rivalry between genders as men will feel offended by those women's wrath. "Men are trash" tweets are all over my timeline and most of the times the reasons are very silly. Coming from a man, this is not how you can improve the current situation, all it could do is deteriorate it. Hatred cannot heal inequality. Furthermore, I find the #FreeTheNipple movement indecent and does not depict the image feminism wants to show to the world. I believe that women should respect themselves and their bodies. This is, as I said, my personal opinion on the matter. All those popular campaigns will not lead feminism anywhere. A normal protest is much more powerful, if done the right way, with the right campaigning. The work of the likes of Malala, Emma Watson, etc... is the example to follow. Those figures are transmitting their messages through peaceful and decent approaches. They are the true face of modern feminism and they have to lead the way to a more equal world.