Anyone who has Twitter has stumbled across the “meninism” account (@MeninistTweet) in some way or another, whether by retweet or follow. After coming across the account, anyone can realize it is not real meninism; it’s ridicule. Meninism is, by definition, the support and belief in gender equality and specifically the equality amongst all men. This could mean in a plethora of areas such as race, sexuality, and even the struggles that all men face. Instead of the offensive and juvenile material that the @MeninistTweet account uses, they could use their platform of one million followers to bring awareness to men’s issues.
One of the most relevant male issues is masculinity and the male gender role. All throughout boys’ lives, the male gender role is shoved down their throats; they are taught that all men are supposed to be tough, dominating, emotionless, non-relational, and superior. As the University of Warwick’s Maria Pereira discovered, this can cause detrimental effects. While observing a classroom of male students, she noted that “the male students all faced intense pressure to prove the extent of their manliness,” and also, “the constant effort to manage one’s everyday life in line with gender norms produces significant anxiety, stress, insecurity, and low self-esteem in boys.” Teaching all boys that they must abide by these unrealistic standards is ridiculous, and real meninists need to work to get rid of them. Parents need to begin to teach their sons that they are allowed to be themselves, whether it fits into the gender role or not.
Another significant issue is simply equality amongst men, such as the wage gap. Often, the wage gap is only discussed between men and women, but there is also a significant gap between white men and men of color. Black men make 75 cents to white men’s dollars, while Hispanic men make 67 cents. We must begin to legitimize the financial inequality amongst men. Another issue of equality of men is the demonization of black men. By many, they are automatically seen as “thugs” and criminals. This preset assumption is inherently racist and is the result of most police brutality situations. Michael Brown, as most people know, was simply a black teen walking down the street but was shot because of the demonization of black men. To reach equality amongst men, this can no longer happen. We must instead give all men equal chance and opportunity.
Another issue amongst men is the neglection of their issues. One of the most prevalent being male victims of abuse and rape. In many settings, these victims are ignored. While this issue more often affects women, there are still many male victims! We must legitimize their situations; just because they are men does not mean they cannot be abused. They are not always “tough” and “dominating” as the male gender role dictates them to be. Male victims of abuse and rape should be taken with the same degree of seriousness as female victims.
Meninism is the advocation for the aforementioned issues and more. Sadly, genuine meninism is being completely misrepresented. The @MeninistTweet account is giving it a bad name by satirizing feminism, making fun of trans women (Caitlyn Jenner), and making rape jokes. It is disheartening that the owners of this account are not using their platform to advocate for actual men’s issues. Authentic meninism is not about making fun of others; rather, it’s about actively taking part in gender equality and men’s issues. It’s about wanting the true good of all men. We need to begin to embrace the true form of meninism and recognize men’s issues as legitimate.
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