Feminism is not about being greater than men but being equal to them. While things are much better than they were a hundred years ago, patriarchy still exists. Below are four examples of double standards that prove why, as a society, we need feminism.
1. Men are praised for enjoying their sexuality, while women are shamed
A part of “shame culture”, this is something that is present worldwide. Although it is more prevalent in some cultures and religions, since the beginning of time, men who engage in sexual activity are praised, while women are degraded.
2. Men can walk around without a shirt on, but women are judged for breastfeeding in public
Nobody turns an eye to a man without a shirt on, but a woman breastfeeding (not even totally topless) is “inappropriate.” Breastfeeding is a natural thing which is oversexualized by both men and women.
3. “Boys will be boys”, but women should “act like a lady”
“Boys will be boys” is a justification that men can do whatever they want without facing consequences. And what exactly is acting like a lady? I’ve had people tell me, “you have to sit like a lady”, “speak like a lady”, etc. It’s the 21st century, and these two phrases are way too outdated.
4. It’s ok for men to have body hair, but women should be completely hairless
This is my favourite one. Personally, I agree that if a woman wants to remove body hair, she should go ahead and do it. But on the other hand, women should not be forced to look a certain way to conform to traditional beauty standards. Most women I know perform hair removal methods either because they feel they need to in order to be accepted by society, or for their partner. Body hair is a natural thing, on both men and women.
When taking into account these four double standards, it’s obvious we need feminism. Although it may be more subtle, sexism still exists even in today’s society. Hopefully one day, with the help of feminism, women and men can truly be considered equal.