Feminism is a very misunderstood term, especially in the world we live in today. I have even heard people say “I’m not a feminist, but I am for gender equality.” if that’s true then why not just call yourself a feminist? This mindset is a result of various negative stereotypes, misconceptions, and myths that surround the movement. Unfortunately, a lot of the myths about feminism that scare folks off are more concerned with who feminists are than what we do or believe in. I wrote this article to educate and empower, as well as to raise awareness on what feminism is really about. Ok so first things first; let’s discover what the true definition of what feminism actually is and what it truly entails.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines feminism as: Feminism.1: the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. 2: organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests. Yup, that’s it. No more and no less. Now, let’s debunk a few popular myths about feminism in today’s society.
1. All feminists hate men. I hear this one a lot and it drives me crazy. Femininsts do not hate men nor attempt to ‘destroy men’ in order to uplift themselves. Feminists hate patriarchy and male privilege, not men as a whole. Keep in mind that feminism is about systems, not individuals.
2. Men can’t be feminists. Anyone and everyone can be a feminist! The movement is not exclusive to women, even though the name can be a little misleading. Regardless of your age, gender, sexuality, religion, race, nationality, and whatever else makes us different, anyone can be a part of the movement to end inequality. Including, intersectional feminism, which is about dismantling oppressions of all kinds, including but not limited to; sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, and ableism.
3. Feminists are lesbians. A person’s sexual orientation or preference has nothing to do with being a feminist. The only thing that all feminists have in common is that we’re all committed to achieving political, economic and social equality of sex, race and class. Anything else is merely coincidental.
4. Most feminists are unattractive and not feminine. One of the things feminism is all about is giving women the right to make their own choices, not about finding even more ways to limit their self-expression. If a women chooses to act in a traditionally feminine manner (or not) it’s perfectly fine, and actually quite common within the feminist movement.
5. A feminist should automatically support any women. PhD Candidate and Professor at the University of Florida Keasha Renee Worthen stated “There is a pervasive idea in feminism that we should support all women, and that is quite ignorant.” Some people assume that, because feminism seeks to empower women, a feminist should automatically support any other woman no matter what. Supporting a woman because of her gender regardless of her beliefs goes against the nature of feminism.
I recently read a quote by Twitter user Denizcan Targaryen that says “There are little girls who are growing up with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, a female Jedi, and a female Doctor. I love it.” The media is starting to challenge traditional gender roles more and more in movies, TV, books, toys, advertisements, and more. These young girls are also growing up seeing Disney princesses be their own hero, instead of waiting for prince charming to come and save the day, and someday they will see the first female President of the United States of America be elected. While huge strides have been made towards complete gender equality throughout the years, there is still a great deal of work that still needs to be done worldwide. Pressing issues such as the gender pay gap, access to reproductive healthcare, protection against sexual assault and violence and gender representation in media, among many others. After reading this article, do you consider yourself a feminist if you didn’t already?
For more information about the status of women’s rights around the world, click here.