Obama penned an unexpected essay which was in turn published to Glamour yesterday in which he declares himself a feminist and commends the progress the country’s made toward gender equality.
“The progress we’ve made in the past 100 years, 50 years, and, yes, even in the past eight years has made life significantly better for my daughters than it was for my grandmothers,” he wrote. “And I say this not just as President but also as a feminist.”
Now, the word “feminist” has gotten a lot of bad press in recent years. Prevailing notions of feminists being “man-haters” or that the overwhelming majority are single, bitter women are abundant and partially contribute to peoples’ reluctance to identify as one.
Many celebrities refuse to label themselves as feminists despite some carrying beliefs based on the idea of gender equality.
Katy Perry told Billboard “I am not a feminist, but I do believe in the strength of women,” at one point. Others have said similar things in attempts to distance themselves with the word’s connotation.
Keeping that in mind, to have the actual president of the United States label himself as such is sort of a big deal.
He touches on the emotional and psychological effects that gender stereotypes have on girls and boys from an early age, the routine harassment of women—both online and off—and the additional burden Michelle has had to bear while balancing her career and childcare responsibilities while he, admittedly, got off easy.
“Even after achieving success in her own right, she still held doubts; she had to worry about whether she looked the right way or was acting the right way—whether she was being too assertive or too angry,” he says of Michelle’s obstacles.
He ends by summarizing what twenty-first century feminism is about, in his eyes: “the idea that when everybody is equal, we are all more free.”
To read his full essay, “This Is What a Feminist Looks Like,” click here.
