Let me start this out by saying that I do not hate men. As ridiculous as that sounds, that is what many people assume when they hear the term feminist. A few bad eggs have given the rest of us a bad name and have brought with them tons of stereotypes. "Feminists just have daddy issues." "Feminists are just mad because they can't keep a man." "Did you know feminists don't shave their armpits?" Any group of people has their stereotypes but the ones for feminism tend to be very negative and without reason.
The definition of feminism is "The advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes." The definition itself tells you that the goal is equality. Feminists do not want to be treated like they are above anyone else; they just want to be treated like a human being. Here are my reasons why the misconception of feminism is inaccurate.
Women are held to a different standard than men. Women are supposed to be weak and feminine. They are traditionally the ones to stay at home and take care of the children. Today we know most women have careers of their own, but they still get a lot of hate. Women are still expected to be family based and to be a caretaker. God forbid a woman does not want to get married and have children. There is also the double standard in how women and men are viewed when it comes to things of sexual nature. Women who are sexual are called sluts while men that are sexual are called studs.
This also applies the other way around to men. Men are viewed as needing to be strong and tough. Men are told by society that they cannot be soft and show emotion. Feminism applies to them as well. Just as women should be treated equal, so should men. There is nothing wrong with a woman being strong and acting as a provider. Nor is there anything wrong with a man showing emotion or becoming a stay at home dad. Society tries to place these standards on both sides and keep each person in their idea of what it means to be a man or woman.
Another thing that many people do not think of when they hear feminism is women's safety. Recently I have taken a women in crime class that studies women as both victims and perpetrators. 1 out of 5 white women, 1 out of 5 black women, and 1 out of 7 Hispanic women will be raped in their lifetime. Also, those that are victimized are much more likely to become a perpetrator themselves which creates a vicious cycle.
Feminism tries to fight against rape culture. Rape culture supports the use of rape myths such as victim-blaming. Society has a real issue with this. They blame the victim instead of blaming the perpetrator. Many ask, "Well what was she wearing?", "Why was she alone in the first place?" "Why didn't she fight back?" etc. No one should have to go through the trauma of sexual assault just to be blamed for it. Especially with how common it is in our society today. We do not blame a murder victim for their death so why do we do it with sexual assault victims.
The fact is whether you agree with feminism or not, we are fighting for our beliefs. Despite all the misconceptions, we want to be treated as equals and to be safe. If you ask me, that is a basic human right that we are having to fight for.
