The term feminism has been a rather controversial word in today’s society. Especially to the media who have converted it to an aspect of their own understanding. When an underlying cause and meaning has been torn apart, major misunderstanding arises which eventually triggers false rumours to circulate on social media. To bring peace and justice to the matter, we decided to debunk a few common misconceptions about the term.
1. “Feminists think they are better than men, and men should be castrated from society.”
As with many groups there are a certain cluster of people who do believe this to be the case, but I can clearly state feminists are not based on that mindset. Feminism is grounded on the beliefs women deserve rights equal to that of men, not anything less or anything more. Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, once said, “Women’s suffrage is about feminism, but feminism is about fairness”, a quite accurate interpretation of what the movement stands for.
2. “Feminists are intimidated by men who are earning more than their female counterparts.”
A crucial issue feminists are aiming to re-establish is the disparities in the pay gap. Gender aside, no one appreciates being undervalued, but as a woman who is in a duplicate role as her male colleague and to be rewarded significantly less in a work effort that was just as brilliant, it discredits their worth tenfold. Feminists aren’t intimidated but instead determined to find a resolution to a very unjustifiable issue that simply should not still be occurring in this decade.
3. “Feminists hate men.”
Just because someone has inconsistencies in their life it doesn’t then mean they are fuelled by a raging hate, the same can be applied with feminists. It may come as a surprise that many feminists are married or are in a relationship…I know how shocking, right? But great humour aside, feminists (on the whole) do not hate men. They are more enraged by the utter stupidity of the existing guidelines and laws that are preventing women from gaining absolute equality. People also seem to forget you don’t have to be a female to be feminist. The multitalented actor, model and singer Harry Styles is a self-proclaimed feminist who has supported the ongoing UN Women’s campaign #HeForShe since 2014.
4. “Feminists want to take over the world.”
There is a fine line between wanting to take over the world and wanting to have the respect that one deserves. Politician and proud feminist Nancy Pelosi did a fantastic job summarising this in an interview with Glamour magazine back in 2007.
“Women are leaders everywhere you look – from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household. Our country was built by strong women, and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes.”
5. “Feminists blame men to shadow their own mistakes.”
We live in a time where mistakes are identified and spoken about, especially on social media where ‘cancel culture’ has forced many individuals in the limelight to recognise their actions and explain themselves. Female artists such as Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus, and Demi Lovato are a few who have experienced the backlash from their decisions but were quick to address the allegations and apologise for any offence they had caused online. Taylor Swift recently stated her loyalty as a feminist and criticised herself in the past for “accommodating” and “over correcting” her behaviour and feministic beliefs to satisfy haters. Feminists are human, if they have done something wrong, they will confront their own actions, not blame men.
In the end, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, but it is essential to be aware and educated on the facts to prevent being a victim of fake news and unintentionally be harmful to the true essence of a movement.
“Feminism is not here to dictate to you. It’s not prescriptive, it’s not dogmatic. All we are here to do is give you a choice.” – Emma Watson
5 Common False Assertions About Feminism
