Staff Writer Michaela Peterson
Feminism has long been associated with, well, women. But, recently, many famous men have publicly declared themselves feminists. From well-known social activists like Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, and Daniel Radcliffe, to more macho stars like Bradley Cooper, Tom Hardy, and Channing Tatum, the men of Hollywood have started to speak openly about gender inequality in their work, supporting their female co-star’s places and pay. Their actions have caused some debate over whether or not men can truly call themselves feminists.
Just to make this clear, the definition of feminism, according to the Oxford English dictionary is: “The advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” Unfortunately, that’s not what a lot of people think it is. Many assume feminists are women who hate men and want to take away all of their rights. And this misunderstanding is what makes many men scared to call themselves feminists, even if their beliefs are in line with the true definition of feminism.
Think SLA is immune to this foolishness? When I began this article, I sent out an anonymous survey to the junior class. Since then I’ve only gotten nine responses, and only 2 men have responded. The thing is, both of the men who responded identified themselves as feminists. And I know plenty more men at SLA who identify as feminists. Yet finding someone to interview for this article, which was the original plan, was basically impossible. The guys I spoke to about this skirted around the issue, trying to find a way out of it.
I’m curious as to why that is. What is it about the word “feminism” that makes people, especially men, uncomfortable?
They are more than comfortable talking about the ideas, but under terms like “egalitarianism” or “equal rights”. As soon as the word feminism comes into play, the air becomes filled with an awkward tension. It’s possible that they think that other feminists think that they can’t fight with them; it could be for a completely different reason. I can’t say.
If it is the first reason, however, then men have no reason to fear. The vast majority of women feminists openly welcome men feminists. It would be hypocritical of us to reject men from joining this movement about equality. Everyone I’ve asked and who have filled out the survey agree: there is no reason why men can’t be feminists. You may not be the most active or loud feminist, but, in the end, all that matters is that you stand behind and act on your beliefs.
To be a feminist, if you are a man, simply means you are actively supporting, listening, and encouraging women in your life. If you are out with your friends and one of them says something sexist, call them on it. Listen to the girls in your class talk about everyday sexism. Ask one of them what their experiences with casual sexism has been. Doing any of those things makes you a feminist. To be feminist doesn’t mean that you are going to rallies and rejecting all concepts of masculinity. To be feminist means standing behind women and lifting them up. And in that process, you are helping yourselves. Women are 50% of the population. How can we say we are advanced as a society when half of us don’t get paid fairly or have rights to our own bodies? That’s really what we are fighting for. We are fighting to move forward in the world, while fighting to not move backwards.
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