Feminists vs. “Feminazis”

I recently came across a Facebook group called, “Women against Feminism.” Initially, I thought it was a joke or that it was written by a group of men. However, it is legitimate and there are women that have come together on this page to tell why they don’t need feminism. They have images of women holding signs that say things like, “I don’t need feminism because I’m free and happy. I have a heart and a brain,” and “I don’t need feminism because I don’t need to demonize men. I do not want anything that makes playing the victim empowering. Being a woman is not a disadvantage. Respecting my husband as the man in our marriage does not make me less of a woman.” I could go on but I think you get the point.

I believe a lot of the ignorance towards Feminism stems from, like any political based group, the radicals. (AKA Feminazis). There are always people in any group that take it too far and those that are not fully educated on the topic or have a different belief system feed off these radicals and use it for ammo. For example, in any election, there are extremists that represent either the Democrat or the Republican parties and allow the oppositional group to use these people as an example and representation of that group as a whole. This is a misrepresentation and needs to be addressed. You cannot continuously categorize a group of people based on a select few that ruin the general motive.

Feminism is the belief and promotion of political, economic and social equality of the sexes. The consistent misinterpretation of this is the belief that Feminists desire domination and to ultimately become the “better” sex. This is false; although there may be women who desire this, it is not the purpose of this movement.

Just like any minority, women were not given the right to vote until 1920 and that was just the start of women demanding equality. In America today, “girls grow up facing vastly different sets of pressures, encounters, and forms of social control than their male counterparts”- Meda Chesney-Lind. There is still a systematic inequality embedded in the brains of most people. Feminism fights to level the playing field for all sexes. Women have historically been viewed as the lesser sex and are constantly sexualized for the pleasure of men. Women in all countries are victims of sexual assault and rape because men often feel they have every right to a woman’s body whether she says yes or no (Men are victims of sexual assault too). Still today we have men in the government making decisions and legislation regarding a women’s body.

Double standards are another great example of inequality. Men are praised for multiple sexual relations with women and the women engaging in the same behavior are slut-shamed. This exemplifies that women are not given the same social freedom as men.

Also, many people say that if women want feminism, they must give up the desire for chivalry. This is false. The idea of feminism is the right to equality. This does not mean they are no longer allowed to be submissive, but they ultimately have the right to be dominant if they wish. For example, some say Feminists shouldn’t allow men to buy dinner for them because that is a promotion of the inequality that, by definition, they are said to be combatting. No, they are allowed to accept any kind of gesture by a man, but they are able to return this favor because gender roles must be interchangeable for Feminism to be obtainable.

I would now like to address some of the statements written by contributors of the page, Women Against Feminism.

“I don’t need feminism because I’m free and happy. I have a heart and a brain.” –anonymous

If you are a female, you need feminism because it allows you to be free. This sentence about having a heart and a brain is irrelevant, and feminism fights for you because women have a heart and brain. Also, any oppressed peoples are allowed to be happy, even if they aren’t given equal rights. You may not see that you are oppressed, but you are. I am glad you are happy and free because feminism is about empowerment.

“I don’t need feminism because I don’t need to demonize men. I do not want anything that makes playing the victim empowering. Being a woman is not a disadvantage. Respecting my husband as the man in our marriage does not make me less of a woman.” –anonymous

Once again, if you are a female, you need feminism. You have also fallen victim to the generalization of a group based on radicals. You do not need to demonize men to be a feminist. You do however must address that they have historically had more rights socially, economically, and politically; so some may take that as a demonization because no one in a position of power wants to be equal, they want the upper hand. Playing the victim and addressing an inequality are two separate forums. When one says someone is “playing the victim,” they are claiming that their problems are invalid. When women state they face inequality, it is most certainly valid and can be explained by thousands of forms of literature and research. You can easily access any of this by going to Google scholar and typing, “feminism.” You are most certainly right that being a woman is not a disadvantage and there are activists that fight to make this a reality every day. However, there are certain aspects of life that women aren’t given the upper hand and people who believe that being a woman is a disadvantage. Finally, the fact that you say respecting your husband as the man in your marriage does not make you less of a woman is allowed in feminism. You are allowed to be submissive, but you must also understand that you deserve and you should expect equality in a marriage; physically, emotionally, financially, etc. By saying he is “the man in your marriage” is stating that he deserves respect but you do not. Are you okay with that?

“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” – G. D. Anderson