What? Men Can Be Feminists, Too? *Gasp*
(First posted May 6, 2019)
One major problem with feminism is that so many people misinterpret the basis of the movement as a whole. A highly active stigma surrounds the word "feminism," enabling an entire set of stereotypes to exist around the movement. As a result, I've noticed that men don't want to be involved or don't feel welcome to join the feminist movement.
A common misconception about feminism is that men are the enemy. I have heard the same sentence repeated time and time again, "I'm not a feminist because I don't think women are better than men. They are equal." I cannot stress this enough; feminism is not an anti-male movement. Feminism does not promote female dominance; this movement is not a tool to strip men of their rights or belittle their identities. Men. are. not. the enemy. Toxic gender roles are.
I think we all get caught up in what the media perceives feminists as. If I knew nothing of this movement and only relied on the media to educate me, I'm pretty sure I'd look at feminists as angry man-haters, too. The true meaning of feminism is lost in media messages that falsely represent everything I know to be true about this movement, that the goal is equality.
Emma Watson offers a great explanation, saying, "I think the word is really difficult because it seems to inherently suggest a preferential treatment of the feminine over the masculine because it has the feminine in the word." Watson is a spokesperson and advocate for the HeForShe campaign, which encourages men to join in on the fight for gender equality instead of fearing or rejecting it.
While feminism highlights and focuses on the issues and injustices women endure in society, there is no intention of placing women on any pedestal. Women's issues, however, are prioritized for good reason. We must acknowledge that women are disadvantaged and experience inequalities that men will never endure. Therefore, the focus of the feminist movement is directed toward conquering such injustices, but this does not imply that women should be given more rights than men. The goal is gender equality, but to achieve that, we need feminism to put both sexes on an equal playing field. For a feminist to claim that men are the enemy is an outrageous contradiction, as the whole purpose of this movement is equality for all, period.
With such stereotypes so prevalent in society, the belief exists that men don’t belong in the feminist movement. The number of men that silence themselves when I bring up feminism is astounding. Maybe they don't feel it is their place or simply don't need to care since women's rights do not pertain to their lives. Whatever the reasoning, there is this notion that men cannot identify as feminists.
To all my male readers out there (hi, dad!), just know that you can. You are valuable to this conversation and needed in the fight against gender inequality. If you’re hesitant, I encourage you to think of all the women in your life. Imagine your mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, girlfriend, wife, daughter, friend, or whoever they may be. These are all women who live as victims of gender inequality. As a feminist, you fight for those women. You fight for all women. You even fight for men, too. I'm sick of hearing that men can't be feminists because, contrary to mainstream narratives, this is a matter of gender equality. Gender equality is a man's fight, too, as sexism impacts both men and women, albeit on different scales. This is about men and women being equal; it's about unity, resilience, and justice. Last time I checked, this is a matter everyone is involved in.