WORTHINGTON - Everybody should be a feminist, according to Bianca Alvarez.
“It’s about equality,” Alvarez said. “Many people think that feminists want women to be more powerful than men and that’s the wrong idea. … It’s about not allowing one person to be above another.”
Alvarez, a 2015 graduate of Worthington High School, earned a silver medal at the Family Career Community Leader of America (FCCLA) National Leadership Conference last week in Washington, D.C.
She presented her exhibit on feminism to a panel of judges, touching on two topics - feminism in the media and rape culture.
Alvarez said celebrities are having a huge impact on bringing awareness to feminism in a positive way.
“There are a lot of celebrities nowadays who identify as feminists,” she said. “For example, Beyonce does Chime for Change. … It’s helping people to think of feminism in a not-negative way.”
Chime for Change is a global campaign to raise funds and awareness for girls and women around the world by promoting education, health and justice.
Alvarez said that she is passionate about feminism, and talking about rape culture was one of the highlights of the whole event.
She explained that rape culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and sexual violence is normalized and excused in the media.
“I talked about certain phrases that make-up rape culture,” Alvarez said. “Like ‘boys will be boys.’ … I hope that when a person is raped, we don’t respond with, ‘What were you wearing?’”
Alvarez said her purpose was to bring awareness to the subject, and she feels she has done that.
“Rape culture is present in our society, and a lot of it goes unnoticed,” she said. “Seeing how people would call themselves a feminist after listening to me and seeing that I actually have an impact on them was pretty great.”
Alvarez said she is grateful for this experience and is thankful to the Optimist Club for helping her raise money to travel to Washington, D.C., as well as the FCCLA for giving her a platform to speak.
Alvarez is hoping that feminism will continue to be a topic of discussion. She said she will carry her passion with her to college. She plans to continue her education at Minnesota West in Worthington, majoring in psychology and, hopefully, minoring in women’s studies.
