I recently read an Odyssey article titled, "I Am A Female, And I Am So Over Feminists", and it made me sad to see that some people still think feminism is entirely an anti-men movement. This thought process degrades so much of what the feminist movement actually stands for, and takes away the credibility and rational of women just asking for basic gender equality.
One of the biggest arguments that I have read against the feminist movement is that today, women are respected and taken more seriously than they ever have been in the past.
This is a hasty generalization that still manages to ignore the actual point of the movement: equality. Saying that the movement is pointless because women are as close to being equal as they have ever been before is like almost getting to the top of a mountain and turning around because it's the closest you think you can get.
As someone who tries to see both sides to every argument, it is difficult when the argument contains many fallacies that deter from the actual point that is trying to be made.
Feminism isn't just about respect. It is about women being able to feel safe. It is about equal pay for those who obtain the exact same qualifications, regardless of gender. It is about men and women having the same expectations when it comes to childcare. It is about women having bodily autonomy.
It is about trans men and women having the same rights as cis men and women. It is about so much more than respect, and if you disagree, you don't understand what the movement is and have no purpose speaking on it.
The feminist movement is not about women blaming all of their hardships on men. If you are a part of the feminist movement and you believe feminism is about women becoming more dominant than men, you also need to educate yourself on what "equality" means and what it is you are actually fighting for.
Susan B. Anthony did not fight for women's suffrage for us to now say, "our rights are equal enough" and move on. She would be rolling in her grave to hear that any woman opposes feminism. To say you are "over feminists" is to say you have no idea the importance of the feminist movement and what it is doing for so many women today.
