Feminist Stereotypes Can Get Hairy

Three years ago, when I took Women's Studies 50, one of our assignments was to investigate others' knowledge of feminism on this campus. We were to interview ten people who we did not know about feminism and feminists -- what feminism is, what it does and has done in the past, who does it and what those people are like.

When I asked them what they thought feminism was, most knew it had to do with increasing the status of women. I would ask them, "Do you believe men and women should be socially, politically, and economically equal?" I think nine out of 10 answered yes. Then I would ask, "Do you consider yourself a feminist?" and nearly everyone said "no."

How strange, I thought, that people believe in a definition of feminism but refuse to label themselves as feminists. To find out why this happens, I had to look no further than the rest of my interview responses. I found that powerfully negative stereotypes about feminism persist.

Most of my respondents thought feminists were all hairy, angry, militant, man-hating lesbians. Come on.

None of the feminists I know fit this description. Of these, some shave their legs, some don't; most are angry about the male power structure that keeps women down, but they are not angry at men in general. No feminists I know see themselves as militant, but I suppose that the very act of a woman standing up for herself is often so threatening to others, that they find comfort in dismissing her as such. I can honestly say I do not know any man-hating feminists, though I do know several men who are feminists! Finally, not all feminists are lesbians, but many lesbians I know are feminists.

But in any situation dealing with stereotypes, no one person fits strongly into these categories. People can fit into one, some, all, or none of them.

The thing these feminists have in common, though, is the goal to eliminate the oppression of all women.

So, for this reason, it makes sense that many feminists don't shave their legs. We see such body hair removal as contributing to the oppression of women.

In this culture we live in, men are supposed to be strong, aggressive and dominant, while women are supposed to be weak, passive and subordinate. (We are, after all, "opposite sexes.") Body hair is a symbol of maleness and the strength and aggression that supposedly go with it. Think of the expression, "That'll put some hair on your chest." Body hair is equated with bravery, strength and power -- things women are definitely not supposed to have in this culture.

I have had women tell me that it is unsanitary for women not to shave.

Are men unsanitary then? No, of course not. Besides, men are supposed to be a little dirty, right? It makes them sexy to have all that hair (except, of course, on their backs). Women are confined to a facade of cleanliness, otherwise they're told they will appear unpretty, or too masculine, or even aggressive. (And those kind of women are bad, right?)

Also, women's body hair removal makes a fetish of prepubescent girls. The growth of body hair marks a girl's passage into womanhood. For most girls, it also marks the time when they get their first razor.

Because of skewed sexist norms, we are more comfortable with women who look and act like girls throughout their lives than with those who embrace their passage into womanhood (in the real sense). They are considered more sexually attractive by their peers, by men and by the media. By removing body hair, women buy into the notion that the only beautiful woman is one that still looks like a little girl. That's what it boils down to.

Many feminists recognize this and refuse to cooperate. We know that as long as we continue to look a way that makes us appear more passive and under others' control, this is how all women will be treated.

In this instance, I hope there is some truth to the feminist stereotype.

When I wrote my paper for that Women's Studies 50 project, I drew the conclusion that because most of my interviewees believed in gender equality but were misinformed about feminism, the word "feminism" needed some change to rid itself of the negative stereotypes.

But I have since learned that people do not have a problem with the meaning of feminism, or with the idea of equality itself. What creates resistance is when feminists take real action toward equality.

The very idea of women standing up for their rights and refusing to comply with sexist standards is so revolutionary, that no matter what the word, there will be negative stigmas.

The other day in my feminist political theory class, we were discussing our readings on consciousness-raising groups. These groups were popular during the "second wave" of feminism in the '60s and '70s.

Women would get together and share personal experiences. Through interpreting and analyzing the meanings of these experiences, women uncovered the subtleties and not-so-subtleties of their oppression.

They also began talking about ways they could change their situation.

When discussing our reading, one of my classmates leaned over and said, "It's just so militant," as if the idea of women coming together to talk about their common problems was somehow aggressive and combative.

Almost as aggressive as a woman having hair on her legs.

Linda Chupkowski is a senior women's

studies and psychology major from Fayetteville. Reach her with questions and comments at lichup@email.unc.edu.