It seems that whenever you tell someone you’re a feminist, it’s met with faces of disapproval.
As soon as the word feminist leaves your lips, people start forming opinions. They think you hate men, you’re a lesbian, you’re always angry, you don’t think anybody should be allowed to shave, and all the other ridiculous stereotypes that come along with feminism. But of course, after they list all the reasons they aren’t feminists, they say they definitely believe in equal rights for all genders.
Is feminism not about gender equality above all?
Feminism is defined as “the belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes” to target women’s systemic oppression daily.
The feminist movement has given hundreds of thousands of women everywhere a voice, a chance to stand up for themselves.
Yet, a movement that is meant to break stigmas is creating another stigma.
Why are we so afraid of labeling ourselves as feminists?
Is it because of the way popular media depicts us?
“The fight for equal rights is continuously submerged in a wave of criticism, coming from those that aren’t aware of the significance of the movement.”
Feminism isn’t about fighting for the rights of a specific gender. It includes everyone. It includes the men who are told “boys don’t cry ” and the women who are told to “keep their opinions to themselves.”
From a young age, we were taught to think of men in positions of power. Although women have the same qualifications for the job, men hold more leadership positions than women.
The hatred of feminists mostly comes from men with innately sexist ideologies that believe they are superior based on how the world has worked for ages.
Men usually look at feminists and think, “why are all these women complaining and whining when they should be working?”
But it’s not complaining when you’re marching for the right to basic health care or for the right to do with your body whatever you please, without the government interfering.
Feminists aren’t inherently angry 24/7, but even so, we have the right to be, because our administration is condemning women simply for having vaginas.
The world needs to change and debunk the misogynistic ideologies that women are inferior to men solely because of gender, biological or not.
“For women to succeed, men don’t need to fail.”
To combat the injustices placed upon women daily, we must acknowledge and speak up against present gender stereotypes. In the past few years, the world has become more mindful of its representation of women.
Steering past older misogynistic ideologies often found in fairy tales, newer films portray strong women in roles without a male love interest.
We all grew up watching fairy-tales portray us as weak and vain people whose sole purpose is to be saved by a man. Now, we’re finally getting films that place strong female characters in the lead.
We’ve been conditioned to think, act, speak and live a certain way from the day we were born. Before even entering the world, we were placed into gender roles, being taught that pink is for girls and is too “feminine” for boys. This toxic behavior alludes to the importance of combating these stereotypes that dictate women to act a certain way while men, another.
Society has placed us in a box that has filled these stereotypes in our heads and forced us to believe it’s normal.
We shouldn’t be forced to abide by these norms and, instead, make our own norm where all are equal.
The harsh reality is that women worldwide are suffering through oppression and injustices because of their gender.
This toxic environment society has created for women has been so normalized that we often can’t recognize it.
Instead of continuing these misogynistic ideologies, we have the power to advocate for women.
We have the power to change the way the world is viewed for future generations. To change the way feminists are viewed.
If we educate society and urge them to become feminists, we can finally see a future with equal rights, regardless of gender.
