Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am, what some trolls would call, a SJW. Yes I admit it, I advocate for LGBT+ rights, Black Lives Matter, etc etc. But in my own terms, I am a feminist, and proudly so. And its strange to me to hear other people say that they aren't feminists, because feminism is "man hating" or simply because they just don't understand exactly what feminism is. Webster's dictionary defines the word feminism as "the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities". But since the dictionary is simply not enough for many people, I have decided to take five common myths about feminism and explain why they are just in fact myths.
1. Feminism is all about bashing men
If you take one thing away from this article let it be this; feminism is about equality. It is not about one sex being greater than or overpowering the other. What people commonly mistake feminism for in this aspect is actually called misandry, which actually is defined as hating men and wanting to overpower men. Anyone who claims to be a feminist and bashes men, or puts men down, is actually a misandrist. And if you call them out of this and they tell you otherwise, then they're just wrong and ignorant.
2. Feminism only focuses on women's rights
As a feminist, I am here for everyone. Feminism is about breaking down gender stereotypes and finding equality for all. A great example of this is the Rape is Rape campaign, which was created by the Feminist Majority Foundation. This fought against laws that discriminated against men and successfully changed the FBI's archaic definition of rape. Thanks to feminist activist Lovina Stannow, the federal government has to now carry out statistical reviews of the incidents and effects of prison rape every year.
3. If you are a feminist, you can't be a housewife, homemaker, etc.
I have heard so many women say they don't need feminism because of this reason. Because "to be a feminist you can't be traditionally feminine" and this is simply not true. Feminism is about women and men being empowered to do what they want and not feel ashamed about it. Which means, if you're a man and you want to be a stay-at-home dad, that is fantastic. If you're a woman and you want to be a housewife, you go for it! If you're a man and you want to be an engineer, or a woman who wants to be a construction worker, that's perfectly fine. The idea that women and men should be doing stereotypical careers is what the fight is against. We are fighting for the freedom of choice without shame.
4. Only women can be feminists
I don't know if I can stress this point enough; feminism is for everyone. A man's worth should not be measured on his masculinity, he shouldn't be seen as "weak" or "sensitive" if he cries, because men are allowed to be emotional too. They shouldn't get clapped on the back or be told to "man up" if they are raped, because rape is still rape. It's seen as this horrible thing when a husband beats his wife, but when a wife beats her husband he's a "pussy" because he was beaten up by a woman. Feminism is about equality for everyone.
5. Men and women are already equal, so feminism is obsolete
In 2016, women only make 80% of what a man does doing the exact same job. Minorities and people of color have it even worse, with Hispanic and Latina women only earning 54% of what a man does for the same job. And feminism is not just for women's issues within the United States. All over the world there are countries that still allow young girls to be sold as brides, genital mutilation, female sex slaves, etc. We are still fighting for women's reproductive rights, which is ridiculous. Three states alone this past year have been trying to pass laws that criminalize abortions, without exceptions for rape or incest. We've seen two college students in the national news get off basically scot free on rape charges. This is not equality. This is why I need feminism.
