Who Needs Feminism?

This is one of those positive, grassroots campaigns that I really love to see.

A group of American students at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, are challenging their schoolmates to tell the world why feminism is still relevant to their generation.

The campaign hub is a Facebook page that has earned more than 10,000 “Likes” in just a couple of weeks and continues to engage students around North America.

Unfortunately, such a public display of support for women’s rights in the highly-politicized environment of an American election year has prompted jeers from some quarters. According to The Chronicle, a few campaign signs posted around the Duke campus were quickly vandalized with sexist statements such as “I need feminism because sandwiches can’t make themselves,” or “I need feminism because it’s funny watching them try to play sports.”

Kate Gadsden, one of the project’s founders, said she was not surprised by this reaction. She added, “To me, it validated the project.“

See more images after the break.

And my favourite:

See more at Buzzfeed and at the campaign page.