Being a feminist doesn’t mean that you think women are better than men. It doesn’t mean that you think that women are going to take over the world. There are a lot of misconceptions about what being “feminist” truly means. It’s time to clear up some of these misconceptions for why being a feminist is a positive in society that doesn’t need to have a negative connotation.
What is a feminist? What do they believe? Why is it even a thing?
First of all, let’s start with what feminism is and what they believe in. Being a feminist is believing that men and woman should have equal rights. It’s breaking out of the expectations that all women should be house wives, working in the kitchen and staying home to raise the kids. And please don’t get me wrong, there is NOTHING wrong with women and mothers who stay at home to take care of the house and their children. Simply put, being a feminist means that you think that women are capable of doing everything that men can do.
Let’s think about history and how far women have come over the years. In the past, all women were allowed to do, (as society saw it) was always less than what a man could do. Women were not allowed to vote, or be in the workforce, so most resorted to taking care of the house and their families. Then, a lot started to change throughout history. We saw women start to go into the work force when men began to enlist for the military. They were taking over the men’s jobs with the intent from society that when the men came back, they would resume their original positions and the women would then resume their work in the household. When women got a taste of what it was like to have a job and be depended on, they started to push through and break the “rules” of society. We started to see women in jobs that mostly consisted of “women’s work.” Things like nurses, secretaries, bank tellers, waitresses, etc.
Eventually over time, women started to prove themselves more and more. We started to become doctors, lawyers, military positions and even, presidential candidates. Not only have we started to push ourselves further into these positions that were predominantly male dominated, but we continue to push the next generation of children into this direction. We tell young girls that they can do anything a man can do. We have sports that were once only available to men that now have women’s leagues.
The most important thing to keep in mind about being a feminist, is that it doesn’t mean that you think women are better than men, or that women should take over the world. Women just want to be treated with the same respect as men. And trust me, even after knowing what feminism is, sometimes I hear people using the term in the wrong way. Some people use it in a negative connotation just because of the negative things that the media portrays about being feminist. It’s important to know that just because you are a male doesn’t mean you cannot be a feminist. If you are a male, be a feminist! We women won’t look down on you, we will actually think more of you for standing up for something you believe in.
Just keep in mind, being a feminist isn’t always negative. Honestly most of the time it’s a good thing. Men and women can both be feminist. Keep in mind not everyone is going to agree with you being feminist. And finally, being a feminist doesn’t mean we are going to protest and rally that women are better and superior than men. What we really want is for men and women to be seen as equals.