Feminist: to be, or not to be

Out of all of the articles we’ve read so far in class, I found Bell hooks’ “Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist Oppression” to be one of the most thought provoking. I’ve always been curious about why it seems to be that our parents’ (or at least my parents’) generation is more willing to adopt and embrace the term “feminist” than our generation. I clearly remember one conversation with a friend about feminism, in which I asked if she considers herself to be one. Her response was to furrow her eyebrows and curl her nose before negating any such connection to the word, as if I had asked her to change a baby’s diaper. I definitely agree with Bell hooks in that: “Many women are reluctant to advocate feminism because they are uncertain about the meaning of the term” (23). Since the movements of the 60s and 70s, it seems this feminist discussion has slipped by the wayside, which is why our generation seems more hesitant about the term. If one aspect of feminism is simply “a struggle to end sexist oppression” (24), then how could anyone (especially a woman) not consider herself/himself a feminist? Following this definition of feminism, I could even argue that my dad was a feminist based on his work fighting for the rights of women and those within the LGBTQ community as a union negotiator for The Newspaper Guild. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this? Does one have to satisfy certain requirements before being able to claim the word “feminist”? Or should the term be open to anyone, men included?