It's easy to mislabel feminism as only focusing on women. But read between the lines and you'll realize that this is an egalitarian movement that examines all intersections of gender, sexuality, race, and class - which means that no matter who you are, feminists are fighting for you and with you.
1. It’s about women.
Feminism, as defined by Merriam Webster dictionary, is “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.” The ultimate goal of the feminist movement is to fight for political, social, and economic equality between all genders, and, given the patriarchal nature of our society, much of that entails focusing on women’s issues.
2. It’s about men.
Feminists are men’s rights activists. Because this is an egalitarian movement, to be a good feminist is to examine and understand how institutionalized sexism affects men as well as women. Not only does modern society regulate female behavior, it stipulates an oppressive and inexorable social code for men: a code that requires them to be dominant, aggressive, and unemotional. The long-term psychological damage caused by these expectations can be incredibly harmful – both sides benefit from dismantling the patriarchy.
3. It’s about queer and non-binary people.
The intersection of feminism and queer theory is a vast and complex subject area, and there’s no doubt that the two are inextricably related. Seeking equality for all genders necessitates the inclusion of those who are transgender, genderqueer, and all across the identity spectrum.
4. It’s about people of color.
Intersectionality is a major theme of feminist theory, because gender discrimination does not exist in a bubble: race, class, sexuality, and gender all interact to form what sociologist Patricia Hill Collins defined as a “matrix of oppression.” An understanding of black feminism and multicultural feminism is absolutely vital to studying gender politics in today’s world; if we’ve only achieved gender equality between white men and white women, we haven’t achieved gender equality.
5. It’s about eradicating gender roles.
Challenging traditional gender roles is one of the most important facets of the modern feminist movement – and, again, it benefits everyone. If a woman wants to be an engineer or a CEO or a politician, she should have that opportunity. If a man wants to be a stay-at-home dad, he should be supported and encouraged in that endeavour. No one should be restricted to a certain career, rank, or behavior based on their gender.
6. It’s about free love.
While this isn’t technically one of the core ideologies of the feminist movement, I can assure you that there are very, very few homophobic feminists. That’s because feminism is about choice: choosing what you do with your life, choosing how you express yourself, and choosing what to do with your body. Accepting and celebrating the diverse spectrum of human sexuality is a natural offshoot of that basic imperative.
7. It’s about sex positivity.
As you go deeper into feminist theory, you’ll find many points of contention and controversy around specific issues, such as sex work and pornography (i.e. the “sex wars” that arose in the late 70’s and early 80’s). However, regarding sexuality as a whole, there’s a basic understanding that, as long as the sex acts in question are safe and consensual, they’re none of anyone else’s business. That means that men should be comfortable experimenting with their sexuality. It means that we should be providing children with comprehensive and non-biased sex ed. It means that a woman should be able to have as much sex as she wants and not be shamed for it. Sex-positivity is a HUGE part of feminism – and one that affects everyone involved.
8. It’s about body positivity.
The socially constructed “ideal” body type, in any given period, is typically the one that is most difficult to achieve and maintain. The reason for this is simple: conditioning people to hate their bodies is incredibly profitable. Each year, in the United States alone, people spend about $8 billion on cosmetics; and that’s not even counting the money spent on personal trainers, plastic surgery, hair products, and beauty salons. The feminist movement aims to dismantle the social structures that coerce people into “performing” their gender a certain way – and, in the process, eliminating the financial and psychological cost of these social imperatives.
