When I was a college student at the University of Illinois last year, people on campus seemed to look at that certain fringe element of women who call themselves feminists the same way Northerners view Southerners preoccupied with Civil War nostalgia. Their response was: Stop waving an obsolete flag. The battles have been won. Move on already.
     As a result of this skepticism, young women today may find that taking a stand on anything that can be construed as a women's issue is difficult, if not socially hazardous. On my All-Amencan Big 10 campus, by regularly voicing opinions on such topics in a student-newspaper column, I quickly learned how strong and widespread this pressure can be.
     Though I was militantly middle of the road in perspective, by the second time I mentioned sexism in print I was pegged. People I met seemed to treat me like a Marxist, a radical, a testosterone-fueled male-basher; others asked me why I suddenlv hated men so much; and certain folks at home warned me that I was going to jeopardize my future by scaring off potential male suitors.
     At other campuses around the country, this sting against feminism endures even though polls of young women have shown that they support the feminist political agenda and are grateful for the strides made by the women's movement. Of the 514 college women polled by R. H. Bruskin Associates in a survey conducted last year for Inview, a magazine for college women, only 16 percent said they considered themselves feminists. However, 95 percent agreed that men and women should earn equal pay for equal work, and 90 percent said they believed that sexism still existed.
     While other women through the years have avoided the feminist "branding," the prejudice is more devastating to the movement today. Never exposed to feminism's initial momentum, its since-obscured ideals of justice and self-esteem, we only know the Stereotypes. Along with activists from the 60's, feminists have become historical caricatures--like the colorful hippies romping around in yet another "Let's Remember Woodstock" anniversary speciaal or the women from old news footage storming a Miss America pageant.
     Without knowledge of the history of feminism, we also see its present causes as generally trivial. Who cares if the term is "man hours" or "person hours" if you don't understand the values behind it? As for the important issues, they appear to have been settled already. Many women with the potential for high-powered careers see them available, no big, ugly sexism monster is blocking them from that entry-level slat at Arthur Andersen or I.B.M.
     But I challenge the perception that no more change is needed. Even at college campuses, under a thin mantle of reform, many of the old standards linger. Eating disorders, which overwhelmingly affect women, hit those desperate to live up to impossible popular standards of beauty.
     Rape between acquaintances is common, with both men and women blaming the victim. There, simple bad judgment--whether in dressing the wrong way or drinking too much--is considered "a rapable offense," (as I've seen termed in a popular book on the subject).
     For the future, the dannger of not recognizing sexism at the root of these problems and others is real. Fearful of being labeled a feminist, these women will shy from asserting themselves on such seemingly distant issues as reproductive freedom, sexual harassment on the job, inadequate child care or even degrading media images.
     In the past year I have noticed, at meetings and protests on and off campus and around the country, a growing core of young feminist activists taking more active steps to connect with each other. To safeguard past progress, other young women from the mainstream must emerge from their solitary confinement and struggle to find solidarity with their peers. Then, with the backing, instead of. the suspicion, of others our age, we can better learn our neglected history and rediscover the heart of our feminist tradition. If not, then the only flag being waved by the women's movement of my generation will be that of surrender.