A LONG CON- FEMINISM IS FOR ALL

girlupshine
Aug 28, 2021
3 min read

“Feminism is cancer.” “Women and men cannot have the same the same rights because they are not the same, physically.” “Feminism means hating men.” Here are some examples of why both men and women fear the term Feminism and refuse to identify themselves with it.

There are five main reasons for this.

Firstly, many believe that feminists want to control and put men down. This could not be further from the truth as we’re merely asking for the same opportunities irrespective of caste, color, creed, gender or race. Secondly, feminism has been associated with strong, angry and forceful women and hence continues to punish forceful women. While this might be true in some cases, not all women are the same. Just like all five fingers are different similarly no two women are the same. Thirdly, many fear that if women are on an equal footing to men in economic opportunities, this will bring a shift in relationships, culture, power and authority dynamics. Honestly, this shows that the lack of opportunity for women is not because they are incapable to perform a certain task but that they might actually be better. Fourth, because of this, men might lose out of power, influence and authority. Another ego problem. Lastly, a shift in gender roles feels scary and wrong and an injustice to time honored traditions and beliefs. Change is inevitable and one of the scariest things but it is equally important for it to take place.

“The most important thing we have is the responsibility to be introspective.” rightly said Michael Flood. Men play an important role in challenging other men to dive into their built-in misogyny, sexism and violence by calling it out, supporting victims and bearing witness. It means that when a victim comes forward, the jury is not misled by male peers but in fact supported. The threat that men’s involvement might take away resources from women is extremely alarming and must be conducted in such a way that we are not diverted from core issues. Another way is to not expect or accept special treatment. Doing the bare minimum should be recognized not glorified.

Justin Baldoni has been vocal about his struggles with men’s mental health issues and breaking the stigma of “masculine men”. David Schwimmer recognized the grey are area of workplace sexual assault and has been actively trying to fight for this issue. On the other hand, Will Smith is promoting the agenda of choice starting from his family first.

Why should men be feminists? Feminism is a by-product of the patriarchy that has conditioned us to believe baseless stereotypes putting both genders at risk. It is not just a third world gender issue nor is it a trend but a much-needed revolution. It has convinced us that taking household responsibility is empowering and liberating for women whereas when the same work is performed by men, it becomes degrading.

The fixation of men behaving badly is distraction from more fundamental issues of pay gap, harassment among other things that’s sours the attitude of men and women towards feminism. Feminism is about choice, its not about being ashamed of your privilege but to be aware of it and make change for the better. Feminism is a fight against the system of patriarchy and and women support patriarchy as much as men support feminism. It is dismantling misogyny in all forms not just the ones affecting them.

Misogyny devalues the qualities we view as feminine by discriminating the mere way in which we act, speak or dress because of which women are disproportionately impacted and men must care about this too. The concept of not all men must not be a voice raised only when a victim comes out to tell their story. Therefore, feminism is not just for feminine but a safe umbrella for all gender, races, caste and sexuality.

~ Ishita Goyal