Lately, I’ve come to the realization that many people have great contempt for people who consider themselves feminists. Whether it is entertaining a discussion about women’s rights or voicing your support of feminism, the reactions from others are all too predictable; first comes the eye-roll, and then comes the “I don’t want to hear it” attitude. Of course, there are some people who would love to discuss the topic and hear your views, but I myself have witnessed many people completely shut down when conversations about feminism arise.
What is so frustrating to me are the uneducated assumptions that pour out of non-supporters' mouths. Basically, stereotypes and false accusations are thrown out in the open and stated as if these assumptions are pure fact. Here are three common misconceptions feminists are tired of hearing.
1. Feminists Don’t Advocate for Men’s Rights.
I have heard this sentence time and time again, but guess what? It is not a true statement. First, I’d like to state that feminists (specifically the Feminist Majority Foundation) are the reason the FBI definition of rape was changed. The legal definition of rape used to only include forcible penetration of a woman, but now it consists of all forms of penetration committed on either gender. Feminists were also the first to take male eating disorders and body image disorders seriously. Not all men have to have flawless, muscular physiques. The same article (accessed by the link above) revealed that male feminists have worked hard to change the way we see masculinity and femininity and to stop the pressures and expectations associated with both genders.
2. Female Feminists Want to Be Superior to Males.
I have been reading through Facebook comments on multiple shared feminist and anti-feminist videos I've come across, and I've noticed that this notion of female superiority is actually turning into a controversial issue. Yes, there are radical feminists, just like there are radical liberals and conservatives, but does this mean all feminists want to be superior to men? No, it means that some feminists are missing the point, in my opinion. Feminist movements should be a joint effort. Men and women should work together in order to achieve freedom from our sexist society. As I stated above, the majority of feminists want the best for both sexes! They want to increase the quality of life for both men and women.
3. Men and Women Are Already Equal.
"Women can vote. Isn't that enough?" or "Women need to stop pissing and moaning about all the insignificant inequalities. Women are as equal to men as they will ever get" are some of the lines feminists all over are tired of hearing. There are still many important equality issues left for men and women to overcome. Opportunity to advance in the work place for women is extremely low. It has been reported that only 18.5% of congress workers and 25% or less of CEO's are women. Those statistics prove women have a harder time rising to positions of power than men do. As for the issue concerning equal pay, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states full-time employed women earn less than their male counterparts in 104 out of 108 professions!
So please do not try and tell me that we live in an equal society. Yes, women do have more rights here in America when compared to some other countries. However, I do not believe we should settle for just good enough. We are a highly intelligent and eternally evolving country! We should aim for the stars in order to create the greatest society we can, to attain a better quality of life for all human beings.
