What do you think of when you picture a feminist? For many, an image of a strong, independent woman who can support herself in all ways comes up. But that shouldn’t be the only image of a feminist available.

Still, a lot of feminists who believe firmly in that image were upset when Kirsten Dunst told Harper’s Bazaar UK on April 2 that she believes traditional gender roles should be more accepted.

In her interview for Harper’s Bazaar UK’s May issue, Dunst ventured off the topic of movies and acting and touched upon her opinion on gender and femininity. She explained that traditional gender roles are undervalued in today’s society, saying, “I feel like the feminine has been a little undervalued.”

Dunst acknowledged the importance of working and being independent but also asserted that there is value in “staying at home, nurturing, being the mother.” She feels that sometimes “you need a man to be a man and a woman to be a woman.”

Although our society isn’t exactly a feminist sanctuary, a lot of people were upset and perplexed by Dunst’s statements, especially feminist bloggers. Whereas some publications like The Washington Post had a neutral standpoint and used her statements to fuel a discussion, other publications like Jezebel and Uproxx chose to outright attack Dunst.

Jezebel’s counter-argument to Dunst’s statements was that she “is not paid to write gender theory so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that she’s kind of dumb about it.” Uproxx chose to call Dunst an assh*le and explain that her statements solidify the fact that she’s an “insufferable person.” In short, these publications and many others like it choose to insult Dunst as a person simply because she disagrees with them.

Aside from the fact that these publications didn’t actually counter-argue Dunst’s points and instead chose to take a route that mirrors the actions of a 10-year-old, these bloggers don’t actually have an argument against her. All Dunst said was that there is value in traditional gender roles and in women who decide to stay at home instead of work, and there is.

The point of the feminist movement isn’t to pigeon-hole women into the role of the independent working woman with no kids. How is that any different than pigeon-holing women into the role of the doting house-wife who cooks and cleans all day?

When bloggers and publications like Jezebel and Uproxx attack people for their differing views on feminism, it seems more like they’re arguing about the traits of a storybook character than actual people. Women should be able to make choices and live their lives as they see fit, not be forced into some archetype because of someone else’s definition of a woman.

Feminism is about choice. As long as a woman is making the decision to stay at home or to work or to be anywhere else on the spectrum, there shouldn’t be a problem. By attacking Dunst or anyone who agrees with her, simply for close-minded opinions, bloggers are indicating that there is only one way to be a feminist and perhaps there is only one way to be a woman and that’s the very thing the feminist movement is trying to abolish.

Mandisa Shields is a freshman newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @mandisashields.

Published on April 14, 2014 at 1:00 am