When you hear someone say the ‘F’ word, you probably roll your eyes and sigh out of annoyance. When you hear the ‘F’ word, you may think to yourself, “Oh great, another hairy man-hating lesbian who probably carries around a penis sniper in her back pocket.”
Only, that’s a totally untrue stereotype of feminists and you may not know it, but it has a very bad effect.
We don’t hate men, we hate the patriarchy. We don’t hate shaving or makeup, we hate the unrealistic standards of beauty that society drowns little girls in. We don’t hate men that are masculine, we hate that in our society, men have to be masculine and nothing less. And we don’t all hate penises, we just hate the penises that stick themselves in places that they have no business being in. Please, stop stereotyping feminists like this. Learn why we call ourselves feminists. Or just continue to read this article and I’ll teach you myself.
Why am I the ‘F’ word?
Because 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men will experience domestic violence. Because 1 in four women are sexually assaulted. Because society has the nerve to ask, “What was she wearing?!”. Because one third of transgender youth have attempted suicide. Because even though up to 95,000 people in Wales and England have been raped, only 1,070 people have been convicted of rape. Because 36% of people believe that women are responsible for being raped or sexually assaulted if she were drunk! Because in 10 countries, women are legally bound to obey their husbands. Because catcalling is not a compliment. Because society sexualizes women in every possible way, but women cannot dare to sexualize themselves. Because in 2013, over 700 bills were proposed to regulate a women’s body. Because GENDER ROLES! I’m a feminist because I believe in gender equality.
Being a feminist means supporting and protecting your sisters unconditionally. It means respecting everyone’s personal choice while knowing it’s okay to not agree with it. Being a feminist means understanding that men do face social inequalities, and it’s very important to fix them. It means valuing all people on the same scale and knowing the importance of intersectionality. Feminism is not hating men and constantly blaming them for all of our problems. It’s not putting women on a pedestal and make it seem like we’re always victims. It’s not burning makeup and razors and bras (they’re expensive). It’s not white. And most importantly, it’s not a bad word.
Women, and men, and all of you in-between, please please please, do not be scared to call yourself a feminist. Smile proudly when we call yourself a feminist. Because all we do is strive for equality.
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