Women are the minority at many universities. They make up the vast majority of sexual assault victims. Often, women do not feel comfortable on college campuses. In my case, several female classmates of mine did not feel comfortable going out after dark. Their fears stemmed from the possibility of sexual assault. Women should not have to accept this as their situation. They should not have to resign to the fact that we as a culture value them less. They should not see this horrific situation and know that society has done nothing to better it. This situation is one that has been created by our society. A society that fosters things such as rape culture, the objectification of women, and the inequality of women. We as members of this society must do our part to ensure that this is not something that continues into generations to come. Men must also become feminists.
Young women are told from a young age that “boys will be boys” and “he only hits you because he likes you.” These ideas are not only illogical, but they also further the inequality that our society has created. As men in this society, we have become complacent with the fact that women are not treated well, or even equal. Have we arrived at a place where we are content to allow this inequality to exist? Personally, I do not believe that this is true. We, as men, must work to ensure that this ends now. We must no longer give people reason to say “boys will be boys.” Because in reality, there is no reason to say that. This phrase is baseless and only serves to justify unacceptable behavior. When we treat women like what they are, our equals, we remove this sexist and useless phrase from our society. This is when we become feminists.
When we hear the word “feminist” our reaction should be one of support. A feminist is not some extremist who believes in outlandish causes. They are an individual who believes in equality. An important distinction that must be made is that not only women can be feminists. Because, if you stand up for the equality and safety of women, that makes you a feminist. And frankly, shouldn’t we all be doing this? Being a male feminist means recognizing the problems women have to deal with and refusing to accept that. Being a male feminist means seeing the issues that plague our society and pledging to end them. Being a male feminist means not supporting jaded, sexist, and illogical excuses endorsed by our society. Being a male feminist means bringing a sense of safety and equality back to the women we all know. Being a male feminist means being a decent human being, and it’s time we all started being decent human beings.
