For many men, identifying themselves as a feminist is a problem. Because of all the misconceptions around the term, lots of males are afraid to lump themselves in with the “bra burning, feminazi extremists” - and I can definitely understand that; when you are uneducated on the topic. Because of this, let’s just quickly run through what feminism is: the belief that all human beings, regardless of their sex, should be treated equally. Yep, that’s actually all it is.
When you think about it that way, saying you’re not a feminist is basically just saying that you’re an asshole. Now that we’re all clear on what feminism actually is, here’s why men should be more than okay with labeling themselves a feminist.
Doesn’t it absolutely suck to pay for everything when you go out with a girl? Let’s say you both work 20 or so hours a week at similar paying jobs, then go out to eat. You’re paying for her food, and you didn’t get to eat it. Since we now live in a world where women can work and generally do, where we all have our own income and can spend it how we choose, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I hate paying for my own food...if I didn’t get to even enjoy the food, then I sure as hell am not trying to buy it. If you and your girlfriend go see a movie and you both see it once, why would you pay double and she pay nothing? If feminism was more widespread, men would not be expected to foot the bill for everything, since equality would be the norm - and why wouldn’t you want that?
While we're on the topic of great things in the world like food, let's talk about sex. Everyone likes to get laid. But while men can have casual sex and be praised for it, women get labeled as “sluts” and “whores”, which is not fun to be called. Many females would have sex more frequently and with more partners if they didn’t get judged so harshly for it...which means that all men would be having more sex, too. If you’re a man who likes sex, labeling yourself a feminist and standing up against slut shaming would benefit you greatly.
Let’s move on to rape culture. I won’t dig very deep on this topic, but we all know that it exists and is a huge problem. Feminists aim to get rid of rape culture, and once it is less of a problem, the benefits for men would be insane. First off, I’m sure there is at least one female in this world that you care about, and they would get to stop living their life in fear of being violated, or in the shame of being told it is their fault if they do. Next, all men would stop being viewed as harmful and terrifying, which would be awesome. Not to mention guys get raped too - and that needs to be something that we are more aware of and concerned about.
Another reason men need to stand up for feminism is that feminism is all about fighting for men's rights, too - feminism is about equality between the genders, and it recognizes that men are actually oppressed in many situations, such as expressing feelings. Men are often told when they are upset that they have to get over it, stop crying, be tough, hide their emotions...well guess what? Feminism is here to welcome you to experience actual feelings! This is not to say that you’d have to by any means. But if you’re a male who has emotions (so, any male) then it would be nice to be able to express them, wouldn’t it? Imagine breaking your arm and getting to cry about it, or being able to open up to a friend and tell them that you love and care about them without having to add “no homo” after it. That would be pretty cool, right?
Speaking of trying to avoid looking like a gay male at any costs, gay males do actually exist and are very secluded away from most masculine identities, and feminism isn’t cool with that. Any man with a non-traditional sex life (gay men, bisexual men, asexual men, etc) and any man not in the traditional gender binary (transgender MtF, transgender FtM, intersex, etc) are all recognized and appreciated within this movement. Most of these people do not currently have a recognized place in the world, and feminism is working to change that.
The feminist movement is trying to help men everywhere with countless other issues that I haven’t named, all of which are also important. Adding them would make this article too long to care about (if you haven’t already quit reading!), but just know that there are many more benefits to feminism for men than the few that I’ve listed. Just a couple of these other examples include leave from work for new fathers, changing the media’s stereotypes of men, popularizing more than one body type for males, and lowering the high rates of suicide committed by men.
