1. Feminists Assume All Men are Evil

A typical stereotype of feminists is that they hate men and believe that every man is a rapist and a misogynist. While there are some schools of feminism that have this mindset, the vast majority of feminists do not hate men and only wish to be equal to men. Not all feminists hate men and not all men, are evil. There are evil men in the world I am not going to deny that, but our goal is not to hate and degrade men. We want equality, which includes men eschewing sexist practices. Although man-hating feminists are a minority, they are one of the most parodied and talked about school of feminism, driving both men and women to believe that feminism is a lost cause and that the movement is no longer needed when there are still many sexists aspects of our society that we need to reject.

2. Feminism is for Unattractive Women

This a common assumption by both men and women against feminism movements to think that the only reason women become feminists is that they cannot get a man to have sex with them and thus want to shame men into having sex with them. Once again, here is a prime example of people criticizing society’s view of feminism not the views of feminist activists. No women attractive or not wants to be sexually harassed by a man that can make or break her career, no women attractive or not wants to be ridiculed when she is trying to make an argument, and no woman wants to have her experiences with catcalling, harassment, and assault invalidated. Assuming feminism is for unattractive women serves to rein trench the patriarchal notion that women are only valuable for their looks and that they are not ‘hot’ enough to demand equal rights.

3. Feminists Want Female Supremacy

Wrong again. Feminism by definition is the social, political, economic equality between men and women. Feminism is not a movement to overthrow the patriarchy to install a matriarchy; feminism is a movement that aims to make a power structure where men and women can choose to live their lives the way they want, take responsibility for their actions, and want society to see them as full humans with inalienable rights.

4. Feminists are Pathetic Special Snowflakes

I will admit some of the practices in third wave feminism are entirely ridiculous. From pulling fire alarms to stop men’s rights groups from talking over men’s issues to engaging in man spreading some third wave feminism practices come across as entitled rather than empowering. These people are in the minority, but they are the easiest to satirize, which is why these methods are considered a core part of feminist thought. However, it is incorrect to categorize women as fragile beings that cannot take criticism or disagreement—this plays into the patriarchy. Feminist activists such as the suffragettes in the early 20th century and feminist activists in the Middle East and Africa have been disfigured, endured jail time, were force-fed, and nearly died for what was right. Special snowflakes I think not.

5. Feminists Devalue Motherhood

We do not hate motherhood; we believe that it should be your choice whether not you become a mother or focus on your career or do both. The only thing we stress is that it is a choice and not an obligation to become a mother because women are more than baby makers. We can have successful careers in a variety of fields, we can pursue higher education, or we can become mothers. It is our choice.