I know what you’re thinking. Just by reading the title of this article, you’re immediately deterred to continue reading any further simply because of the inclusion of one particular word: feminism. Understanding the fact that I myself identify as a feminist, you’re now expecting me to go off on some form of tirade condemning the male gender and promoting bra burning as a national movement. Somewhere in between the original conception of feminism and now, many misconceptions have formed that have really given the term “feminism” a bad rap. So, I’m here to educate all you haters and debunk three specific aspects of feminism that are rooted in complete and total inaccuracy.
One: feminists hate men. The word feminism has become far too synonymous with the term “man-hater” for my liking, especially since people who assume this synonymity are most definitely ignorant as to the true feelings of feminists. Feminists are indeed not against men — they are against the patriarchy. They are in opposition to the society we live in, a society that has been dominated by male tyranny and has historically favored men. To be a feminist doesn’t mean you need to swear off men for the rest of your life; one merely needs to be frustrated with the exclusive authority of men in modern society.
Two: feminists think women are the dominant gender. The misconception that feminists are all yearning for female domination is perhaps the most debilitating aspect of the feminist name. The concept of feminism stands for one specific thing: equality. No, we do not think that the wage gap should be reversed so that women make more money than men. No, we do not think that the president of the United States should be exclusively female from here on out. This school of thought is an entirely different viewpoint, the inverse of misogyny commonly referred to as misandry. But “feminist” and “misandrist” are nowhere near interchangeable terms — they actually could not exist in a state more intrinsically opposite. Feminists strive to achieve gender equality — nothing more, nothing less.
Three: you have to be female to be a feminist. This is perhaps the largest issue with gender equality (or lack thereof), the problem that’s really halting the progression of women’s rights in our society. To be a feminist, you simply need to support and identify with the idea of gender equality. There is a stigma that being male and calling yourself a feminist is an insult to your masculinity, something that makes you less of a man, but this just doesn’t make any sense to me. As a female, I have to say that if you’re male and you don’t believe in gender equality, there is a negative chance that I will pursue a relationship with you in any shape or form. The apparent lack of male feminists is what many people attribute to the lack of development in gender equality. Since our society is still considerably patriarchal, male support is needed in order for women’s voices to be heard and for change to occur. Is it really such a foreign concept to assume that men could and would be willing to support gender equality?
So there you have it: the truth of feminism. I know it’s easy to get caught up in the hyperbole of the feminist movement, to submit to the radical stereotype of feminism and ignore the truth, but I hope that y’all now consider yourselves educated in the facts of feminism and will be able to separate the embellished distortion from the real beliefs that lie at the heart of feminism.
Emily Houston is a freshman majoring in English.