The Fear of Feminism

By definition, feminism is “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of equality of the sexes.” This isn’t a radical or unreasonable notion by any means, yet for some reason it strikes fear and discomfort in many people. So why is feminism taboo?

Feminism tends to carry a very negative connotation, as feminists are viewed as vile, angry, shrill, men-hating, and believing that women are far superior to men. There is a deep-rooted misunderstanding of what it means to be a feminist. Feminism is not about refusing to shave and being a Hillary Clinton fanatic, evoking images of mobs of raging female supremacists, it is about treating women as human beings on the same tier as men. It is based on the principles of human morality and is not a controversial, problematic, or extremist political stance. 

If you respect yourself as a woman or respect any woman in your life, you should be a feminist. If you believe that you, your mother, your sister, your girlfriend, you female friends, your aunt, your daughter, and your grandmother should be afforded equality, you should be a feminist. If you believe that women and men are equal and should be treated equally, you are a feminist. Do not elude the term.

But society fears strong women. Female success is perceived as a threat to masculinity, and a woman that takes up space and holds the potential to overpower her male counterparts is dangerous. Women with voices and opinions are shut down and labeled as “aggressive” or “over-assertive,” when a man doing exactly the same thing is “brave” and “outspoken.” Feminism is menacing in that it resists silencing. The key things that men must understand are that equality is not synonymous with oppression, being a feminist is not emasculating, and that just because they do not experience sexism firsthand, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Women, on the other hand, often evade the label of “feminist” because such a term accompanies accusations of bossiness and craziness. And these attributions aren’t thrown out only by fearful men, they are also hurled by women who have internalized the misogynistic anti-feminist mindset. The trends of women dodging the “feminist” label because they’re “not one of those girls” and women attacking other women for being feminists are sickening. The women who do this perpetuate the touchiness of the simple notion of women’s rights and the misogyny implanted in our brains by society. 

I’ve heard a plethora of excuses for not being a feminist, the most striking being that gender inequality does not exist. Even in the U.S., which is regarded as relatively egalitarian (keep in mind that feminists are not feminist only for the women in the country in which they reside), women are politically, economically, and socially disadvantaged and feminism covers the entire spectrum of women’s issues. Women’s representation in political offices has increased, but female politicians face an entirely different set of standards and level of scrutiny. We have yet to elect a female president and our female presidential candidates have been attacked for not being sensitive enough and accused of being power-hungry witches. Women’s rights are also under constant debate by male politicians. Economically, the wage gap is a clear example of sexism. Socially, misogyny is deeply ingrained in almost every aspect of women’s lives. We are taught from a young age that femininity comes with restrictions, that girls should not make people uncomfortable, that “boys will be boys,” and that we have to present ourselves a particular way to be adequate. Women and even young girls face rampant cat-calling, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. The presence of organizations such as Girls Who Code does not counteract or refute the existence of gender inequality and the need for feminist progress. 

Feminism should not be taboo or offensive and if one considers it to be, it can be safely assumed that said person does not support women’s rights. A fear of feminism is a fear of a world in which women are not systematically oppressed and I urge the two-thirds of American women and even more American men to reconsider their avoidance of feminism.