Defining Feminism 

How would you feel if you had the power to redefine feminism?

Your next conversation at lunch does not have to be about who is or is not a feminist or what a feminist is. Better yet, make the discussion more about how feminism should and can empower you.

In its simplest form, feminism is defined as “the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes”.

There seems to be this broad misunderstanding of the term. Feminism, in fact, is meant to promote the empowerment of women. No longer is it perceived in society as such. In a Cosmopolitan guide on several celebrities and their views on feminism, Katy Perry admitted, “I’m not a feminist, but I do believe in the strength of women.”

Perry’s perception of feminism is misleading and unfortunately the reality for most women. In a recent YouGov study, nearly 72% of women did not consider themselves feminists.

Most Americans define a feminist as an angry, man-hating woman.

The misinterpretation of feminism and its roots is misinforming today’s young women. Most high school students’ mothers who were products of an earlier feminist movement during the 1960s and the 1970s are much more compelled to define themselves as feminists than young women in the 21st Century.

Why, though, is there a discrepancy between our mothers’ understanding of feminism and our definition of what feminism means today?

Considering all the strong and independent young women at an all-girls school such as Regina, a dialogue, in particular, is necessary. The dialogue around feminism gives each of us a voice to the importance of gender equality. It is crucial to erase all of the negativity behind how we define feminism. If we are not happy with something, we must not be afraid to change it.

The stereotypical definition of a ‘feminist’ is a wrong representation of what the word really means. Feminism today seems to purposely scare people away. It is up to our generation of women to redefine feminism through our roles as individuals every day in order to erase these misconceptions.

New Movement: “Redefining Feminism” Through Regina Students

This new movement of what I refer to as “redefining feminism,” strives to transform the role of feminism in society. We, as young women, must define feminism, not society.

Regina Dominican, without a doubt, is already at the forefront of the redefining feminism movement. The administration incorporates women and leadership into its mission statement.

The mission statement, posted on the Regina website reads, “Regina Dominican High School fosters academic excellence, truth, peace and justice while challenging each student to develop leadership for life and respect for all races, cultures and faiths.”

Regina Dominican Teachers Harness Empowered Feminists

Ms. Cairns, Spanish Teacher, models the empowerment and the potential of a woman. Cairns is not only committed to the development of strength within her students. She, without hesitation, never stops empowering herself. Her current goal is pursuing a Masters in Administration and Supervision at Loyola University.

Speaking on redefining feminism, Ms. Cairns stated, “There are ways to look at it and we just need to find out what that is for ourselves. We need to know that we are not locked into a certain thing. We have the power to go out and do whatever it is, but we have to work for it. Nothing will ever be handed to us.”

Cairns’ well-versed outlook is a result of her position as a female teacher and role-model to young women at Regina. Her thoughts align with the institution’s empowering atmosphere.

She said, “If we could reach out of our building and empower young women everywhere, the world would feel a little more like this.”

History teacher Mike Small undeniably has played a large role in the empowerment of Regina Dominican’s young women. Small is the second girls’ coach in the history of Illinois to be inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1990.

President, director, chairman, and founder are a few of his well-earned titles he has accumulated over the years. All, in fact, are associated with his efforts toward the advancement of young women in athletics.

It all began when Small was confronted by a young woman who thinking about boys’ basketball, asked him, “Why can’t you do the same thing for the girls? Why can’t you start a girls basketball program or something like that?”

She changed the course of Small’s career forever.

“I started to coach girls’ basketball when girls were playing the six man rule. Three girls played defense and three girls played offense,” Small explained.

He noticed how they never crossed the half-court line due to this rule. It was decided that girls did not have the capacity to run up and down the court.

“The next year, I started the first league in the Chicagoland Area called the Girls Chicagoland Basketball League. If you wanted to come into my league, you had to play the five-man rule just like the young men.”

When Small was asked to speak on gender equality, he replied, “The concept of equality has to be something that is never questioned. It has to be given and accepted because of who you are. Equality is something that cannot be taken away.”

In his eyes, character should take precedence over gender. Small, through his powerful lectures, instills greatness into his students both in and outside the classroom. He teaches them to be strong, independent, and confident in pursuit of their dreams.

Small leads by example as his endeavors prove to young women the immense value of their greatness.

Feminism, redefined, fully embraces males. It is about the recognition and appreciation of their important roles as fathers, sons, brothers, boyfriends, etc.

Physics teacher, Mr. Finder, has decided to dedicate the latter part of his career to the education of young women as well.

“I have witnessed hostility towards women, prejudice, and condescension,” he said.

Initially, Finder unthinkingly opposed feminism as a young man. Then, early feminist writers such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Fernand started to make him and others think about the movement.

During his childhood, middle class women did not work. As he observed his mother and her friends become more and more neurotic, he became ready for feminism. After the prime years of motherhood, women did not have anything else in their lives. They were solely housewives. In his observations, this made them crazy.

In response to how he would redefine feminism, Finder said, “Equal rights and equal opportunities.”

Regina Dominican Students Redefine Feminism

One member of the Regina student body, Lauren Vaughn-Snapp ’15, has already committed to this redefined movement. Vaughn-Snapp has a strong position on women empowerment. She hopes for a world where everyone encourages girls to be just as successful as young men. Vaughn-Snapp, in her near future, would love to present research on chemical reactions to a room full of men.

Vaughn-Snapp reflected that presenting such research to men, typically known for pursuing STEM careers more often than women, would provide a crowning moment on a topic considered dear to her.

Vaughn-Snapp strongly added that she would love “to be that high up in social status, to be important as anyone, and to just be heard.”

If it were not for Regina Dominican’s influence to empower young women, Maria Brito ’16 would not have been made aware of the importance of redefined feminism.

Brito feels the message for girls begins when they are young. She shared, “From the beginning, since girls are little, society needs to tell them that gender does not matter.”

Her philosophy is that an equality outlook is key. Brito is determined to pursue engineering one day. Her legacy will be the woman who worked hard despite all obstacles.

The mother of Gia Sparacio ’18 perfectly exemplifies Brito’s outlook. She is the vice president of a company and carries herself with great dignity, strength, and empowerment.

Sparacio’s own words about her mother, “I think that it is very interesting and cool that she is a woman in a high-powered job because usually it is men who are in those types of positions.”

Erin Patterson ’17, on the other hand, has been deterred from feminism due to societal misconceptions. She openly welcomes defining feminism on her own terms. Beautifully phrased, Patterson stated, “When you are empowering yourself, you are empowering others.”

Patterson believes that women have the ability to put up their ‘force fields’ when disempowered. “I don’t let that stuff get to me,” Erin replied, “If I am being bossy, so be it.”

Her vision of inclusiveness within redefining feminism is truly admirable. According to her, “this should be a working experience for everyone.”

Cali Ryan ’17 bravely admits to what effect empowerment would have on her, “I would probably be able to go swimming more often. It’s in ordeal for me because it’s never the most fun. There are a lot of issues with the way we see ourselves along with self-confidence. It could feel limiting, I guess. It would be nice to not be afraid that you are going to get harassed when you’re at the pool.”

The redefining feminism movement is built on a platform with the sole purpose of empowering women. Empowerment is quite crucial to the prosperity of young women in today’s society. The major question all women must ask themselves is whether or not each one of us is ready to embrace a new feminism movement. With all of our voices together, we do have the power to redefine feminism. We are making history, and everyone has the power and the right to join us.