The F-word is a surefire way to scare someone off. I'm talking about feminism. The moment people hear the word feminism, many assume I'm a bra-burning, man-hating feminazi who wants women to rule the world. While I think a world run by women would be pretty interesting, these are all false accusations. There are countless misconceptions about feminists that make others look at us in a negative light.
1. We hate men.
That's not the concept behind feminism. We want equality for all. This does not mean we hate men and want them to burn, we simply want to be equal to them.
2. We will never get married.
I'm sure some feminists don't want to get married, but that's likely just a personal preference, it has nothing to do with the title "feminist." I identify as a feminist and I am also looking forward to marrying the person of my dreams. I want a big wedding and everything. That doesn't make me any less of a feminist.
3. We never want children.
Same as marriage, this is oftentimes a personal preference. Many feminists want a ton of kids, while others are cool with a few cats. I look forward to having a few kids one day and starting a family, but this does not in any way make me not a feminist.
4. We burn our bras.
Have you seen the prices of those things? The answer to that is simply no.
5. We won't cooks or do other "housewife" type things.
We don't look at these duties as unfeminist, nor do we actually look at them as duties. Some people just love cooking, others compulsively clean. Then there are those that burn toast and couldn't even tell you where the Windex is. At the end of the day, none of these things relate to feminism. I have met feminists on both ends of the spectrum and they all have valuable opinions and experiences to share.
6.Feminists are only women.
False. False. False. Men are feminists too, because they realize that feminism isn't solely benefiting women, but it is also helping men out greatly. It is giving them a chance at equality and it is giving them an opportunity to break the masculine stereotypes that have been forced upon them.
7. Feminists are always angry.
We aren't. In fact, we are often very happy. Those that claim this are also the ones that are firm believers in the exact opposite of what we stand for. Feminists are fierce, we are fighters for what we believe in, so if you have run into one of us with this mindset, then you have probably sparked a little bit of hostility. That's not to say we are angry all the time, we just don't deal well with ignorance.
8. We hate those that claim to not be feminists.
We don't hate you. Honestly, many probably pity you. In the 21st century, if you aren't standing for gender equality and you're firmly protesting the word "feminist," you are likely just sexist. "Game of Thrones" actress Maisie Williams probably said it best: "And then I realized everyone is not a feminist, unfortunately. But I also feel like we should stop calling feminists “feminists” and just start calling people who aren’t feminist “sexist” – and then everyone else is just a human. You are either a normal person or a sexist." So no, we don't hate you, but that doesn't mean we'll be voting for you for Person of the Year.
9. We're all lesbians.
Some are. Some aren't. The beauty of feminism is that it doesn't discriminate against someone chooses to love and be attracted to whomever they want.
10. It's just a phase.
I assure you our fight for equality is not simply a phase, and if it is, it is arguably the longest "phase" in history. We are fighting for equality, not our right to wear black lipstick. It will end the day, we are all equal. Until then, we aren't going anywhere.
