Esther J. Capeda in der Washington Post: "Warum einige Frauen den Feminismus meiden"

And now for another episode of "As the Feminism Turns" — you know, the overwrought soap opera about who is and isn’t a feminist, what it means today and whether it has relevance to women of any age.

It’s a regular series, hopping from one celebrity-driven intrigue to another.

Two weeks ago it was actress Lena Dunham’s autobiography and what constitutes normal sexual exploration between siblings. Last week: whether or not something is wrong with actress Salma Hayek’s admitting that she’s not into feminism.

"I am not a feminist," Hayek told People magazine before accepting an award from Equality Now, an organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights for women and girls. "If men were going through the things women are going through today, I would be fighting for them with just as much passion. I believe in equality."

This infuriated some who thought Hayek’s comment indicated that she sees feminism not as pro-women but anti-men. This is a viewpoint that many other women and men hold as well.

"Faint-hearted feminists? What’s Salma Hayek’s problem?" wrote columnist Barbara Ellen in The Guardian, in what was a common criticism. "What is it about the term ‘feminist’ that still makes some women flinch and bridle, even when they are actively engaged in helping other females?"

Hmm, let’s see. There’s the whole bit about feminists seeming overwhelmingly anti-men rather than pro-equality.

"Hayek is, to put it politely, confused," Ellen wrote, giving voice to the condescension of people on the polar opposite of any ideological spectrum: I don’t hate you or think you’re stupid or bad for your beliefs, I just believe you’re confused. Misguided. Yes, that’s it.

"This isn’t even about rubbishing the fallacy that ‘feminism equals man-hating,’" Ellen assures us, "because (give me a tiny break!), we should have all managed to move on from that by now."

Really?

Should we have?

I have an almost 16-year-old son who, should he attend college, will go into a university campus system where he will, in all likelihood, be automatically considered a potential rapist. If he goes to college in California, he may need to secure a legally binding statement of affirmative consent from a girl to get physically close (get it in writing, son).

Hier geht es weiter.