I AM A MAN, AM I ALLOWED TO BE A FEMINIST FRIEND?

A lot of us say that a boy and a girl can never be just friends but that is so not the case. Just as girls are great friends, guys and girls can be great friends too and having a diverse range of friends will only benefit you. Men have a lot of qualities that proves this. They are always there to make you feel safe and secure when you're not feeling your best. They also make you feel comfortable in your own skin and are away from all the unhealthy gossip. They will always look out for you and seek nothing in return other than to see you smile and be happy.

This was all about male friendships but what happens when feminism comes into the picture...

There is debate within feminism over whether or not men can be feminists.

Many of us must have a view that most of the discussion of feminism focuses only on the ways that women are oppressed in the society and are discriminated against, but the truth is that the goals of feminism—parity of the sexes and less rigid boundaries of what is acceptable behavior based on sex—would benefit men just as much as it would benefit women. We cannot have gender equality by only expanding the boundaries of what’s socially acceptable for women; it goes both ways.

IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT FEMALE OBJECTIFICATION, SEXISM AND STEREOTYPING IS

Beware, "If it's sexist, it is not a joke!"

When you’re talking to a male friend, take note of misogynistic (woman-hating) or sexist (undermining a particular gender) remarks in his words. Point their mistakes out or discontinue talking to such people if they continuously make uncomfortable remarks and statements.

MEN CAN PLAY A POSITIVE ROLE IN FEMINISM

A lot of male celebrities prove that feminism isn’t just for females.

JOSEPH GORDON LEVITT

“What [feminism] means to me is that you don’t let your gender define who you are — you can be who you want to be, whether you’re a man, a woman, a boy, a girl, whatever. However you want to define yourself, you can do that and should be able to do that, and no category ever really describes a person because every person is unique. That, to me, is what ‘feminism’ means. So yes, I’d absolutely call myself a feminist.”

SETH MEYERS

“When you work with the sort of really strong women that I work with, the idea that anyone would want to make decisions for them is hard to wrap your head around.”

JOHN LEGEND

“All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights, the world will be a better place. We are better off when women are empowered — it leads to a better society.”

-FEMINISM ISN'T BIASED

Feminism is devoted to the idea that men and women are equal and that they should be treated equally and be given the same opportunities for advancement and success.

Today, there are too many organizations that still miss the mark on gender equity efforts by focusing gender initiatives solely on changing women, and not men.

However men’s participation in gender justice movements could strengthen feminist efforts. Some forms of participation could include taking action online to defend women’s rights, educating young people in schools and universities, working in organizations that promote gender justice.

Feminism does not associate itself with any particular gender. It has no gender, no age. It is more about the ideology of it. There's no membership for feminism and if you indeed call yourself a feminist, don't hesitate to be called one.

-DRISHYA CHADHA

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References:

-Wikipedia

-feminismindia.com