S is for … Sisterhood

So, a woman campaigns for a notable woman to appear on the British currency and as a result of her success, she’s had threats of rape made against her online. In light of that, now seems as good a time as any to state this: I am a feminist. I am not "a feminist but >>insert odd, mealy mouthed clarification here<<". I am a feminist, and that is that.
Things seem to be on the slide in the arena of equality, this latest news is just one of the litany of stories of abuse women receive for doing even the most inoffensive of things - look at the nasty comments Mary Beard received for being a bit clever about Classics on the telly. The message appears to be, if you’re a woman, you’re successful and don’t give a fuck about trying to meet the impossible, cartoon-porn standards of attractiveness for beauty, you have to accept that people can and will send you messages threatening rape.
There are two things here - first of all, rape has nothing to do with sex, or sexiness. It’s about sadism and control - basically bullying writ large on a woman’s body, which appears to be the modern day battle ground for issues of equality. Secondly, when did it happen that this kind of abuse was OK, or just par for the course? How does it ever get described as “banter”? None of this stuff is OK, and we have to say so. Women before laid down their lives to get us the vote, and we let that sacrifice slide every time we think this is just the way things are these days.
It’s not just the latest twitter furore that bothers me; I know enough to keep those in some perspective. Abortion remains an issue for debate and pro-choice seems to be losing ground to a frothing-mouthed moral majority that believes they have a divine right to tell other people what to do with their bodies. People still think a single woman is a failure - a dusty spinster with “issues” - while a bachelor has cleverly avoided the old ball and chain. People still think it’s OK to ask a woman when she’s going to have kids, and consider her selfish if she doesn’t want them. People also think it’s OK to complain about women who do want kids and decide to give up their jobs to bring them up, or sneer at a woman who is stylish and fashionable as an airhead. (On that - it appears to me that being able to match your shoes to your handbag is at least as useful a skill as manipulating a blue hedgehog in red trainers on a computer screen to do whatever it is happens in computer games that many chaps spend their time doing and no one considers them idiots just on this basis.)
I have two nieces and as they grow up, I want them to be what they want to be - I hope they are kind, hard working, passionate, determined and successful in whatever they decide to do. I want them to live in a world where those traits don’t open them up to abuse, where people don't view them through the lens of whether or not someone wants to sleep with them, or where they think they should tone it down just in case someone doesn’t like a woman being smarter, or funnier, or better at maths than them.
That’s not acceptable: we have to stand up and say, “I am a feminist and I will not accept this shit.” and not shuffle off making apologies or qualifications in case the rest of the world decides we’re not girlfriend material for talking about it.
If you are a woman then you better start saying it, louder than you ever have before.
“I am a feminist.”
Full stop.