Art and Feminism

I believe that our gender is something that highly influences the way we see the world and how the world see us. I don't think that gender differences are bad. I feel that men and women are two sides of the same coin. They each have their place and they each have value. They have different strengths and weaknesses.

I am not saying that every guy needs to be the epitome of masculinity or every girl should be the poster child for femininity. I think that we have aspects of our lives that are different from other people because of our gender. We are inclined to think a certain way or look at situations differently. That doesn't make one gender better than the other. As far as attributes of gender go, I don't think that we should label certain attributes as masculine or feminine. If you think about the attributes of Christ, gentle, loving, compassionate, thoughtful, hard-working, obedient, stern, etc., He has many attributes that may be misattributed as being girly. I think men should be able to be tender and loving. Women should be able to be strong and stick up for themselves.

If an artist is a man or a woman, their art should be appreciated for what it is and not who made it. there might be some messages or themes touched on because of their gender, but they might just as easily be attributed to their lived experiences.

As far as feminism is concerned, I feel that women should be free to make their own choices and live their life as they see fit. As long as they are not impeding other's rights, they have a right to freedom of expression and the pursuit of happiness. This touches on the burkini debate. I feel that a religion should not be stereotyped by a few members. People should be able to practice their religion without fear of being ostracized. Their relationship with God is special and should not be marred by our beliefs of how they should act.

Fear causes us to become irrational. We strike out at the things we fear because we don't want to get hurt. If we are afraid, we should use caution. We should make sure we are safe, but at the same time we should strive to understand the things which makes us fearful. Often, through understanding comes peace.