Society's standards for female celebrities - Megan Unkraut

Feminism in the United States used to be much more simpler than it is today. It used revolve around the principles of equality between men and women, politically and intellectually. In the past, women had to fight for their right to be treated equally, but now the issue of equality between sexes is miniscule.

Of course there are some situations where women are not treated equally, but most of the feminism that is common in society today is a little extraneous. It's one thing to believe in equality for both men and women, that almost goes without saying, but many people have turned the tables on feminism into a crazy "man-hating" riot. At the same time, many women believe in social equality but don't want to be called the "f-word".

The real definition of feminism is "the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. If you look at today's proud feminists you will see either a strong independent woman who believes that women and men are equal and make sure that they don't get cheated of that. Or, you'll see women who believe that the world itself is misogynistic and they are fighting to put women on top. The word feminist is a hard thing to label yourself these days. 

So which side do you join if you believe in the values of feminism, but don't want to be labeled a feminist? Situations like these are difficult even for commonplace people to decide on let alone, celebrities. 

Many female celebrities have shared their opinion on feminism and it seems to be torn down the middle. Many say they are strong women but wouldn't consider themselves feminists, while others range anywhere between full fledged feminist and not giving a second thought to it. 

As a female celebrity, which side is the right one to choose in order to achieve the least amount of scrutiny? 

The singer songwriter Lana Del Rey has claimed that she is not a feminist. It's easy to tell just by listening to her songs, you begin to understand her view on equality and that she doesn't seem to mind men being superior to her. In fact, she prefers it that way.

Lana and many other female celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga have denied the feminist label but don't deny the principles of equality.  They claim that the reasoning behind their decisions is they "love men" or "don't think of things as guys versus girls". 

Although this doesn't represent the true principles of feminism accurately. Lana does things her own way, as an artist should. She claims, "My idea of a true feminist is a woman who feels free enough to do whatever she wants." In her terms she is a feminist, but to the reset of the world she's just a bad role model. It's understandable that Lana doesn't want "feminist" to be her label because of all the negative connotations that go along with it. 

Lana also claimed that feminism "doesn't apply to her". It's true that she is a little unorthodox when it comes to a celebrity lifestyle, but when it comes to her music, you can understand her actual personality and where she's coming from on this whole feminism thing. 

The song Ride is one of the many songs where she shows her personality and submissiveness. It's also an illustration of Lana's real life events. Even though she doesn't care about the men that are superior to her, she still shows that she is independent and she will do what she wants.

"I was in the winter of my life, and the men I met along the road were my only summer." Those are the very first words of the video. The rest of the video shows her getting on the back of motorcycles, or in cars with strange men. This was all part of Lana's life at one point and it's a controversial one at most. It's no wonder that she can't identify with the term "feminist".

Some celebrities are fine with being feminists, while others are not willing to label themselves for fear that it will come back to haunt them. For a female celebrity, every move they make is being watched and broadcasted. Even the slightest thing could be contorted into something that was not originally intended, but would hurt their reputation. For this reason many women don't say whether they're feminists unless they're completely confident in their beliefs.

Even though it's a major part of pop culture, the personal beliefs of our favorite celebrities shouldn't be the main topic of conversation. We also shouldn't alter our own beliefs just because of a certain celebrity. Lana doesn't conform to the stereotypical female celebrity, she has drawn her own path in life that is unlike anyone before her.

Lana's view on feminism is that a strong woman should be able to do whatever she wants to do. Even though this falls outside the realm of ordinary feminists, she makes a point about women. Instead of fighting for equality, we should focus on being strong independent women who have the ability to do what they please and no be criticized for it.

But really, feminism used to be a great thing for women who didn't have a voice until it became distorted and unrealistic. It turned into a group of women who are trying to reverse the roles of women being inferior to men being inferior. To be a strong, independant woman is one thing, but being a feminist and believing that society isn't good enough for women is another thing.  

As for Lana, a female celebrity who has claimed that she is not a feminist, how does this remark affect her in terms of fans or publicity? Does it change the way people think about her?

I don't think so.

I think Lana has a very unusual personality and it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone if her life isn't "status quo". I don't think "artists" should be criticized for not conforming to a standard idea set for women.  The term feminist is almost outdated by now, people should view each other as equals and not put labels on each other based on gender, race, religion, or anything else for that matter.