Sometimes I overheard people talking about feminism, "I am not a feminist but I think equal rights for men and women is important". Since when is equal rights not the essence of feminism?
Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Feminism is stigmatized in various ways and a number of people refuse or are afraid to be associated with being a feminist. Why is that?
Firstly, feminists are often perceived as man-hating extremists. An additional misunderstanding is that feminism is about women bashing men. Wait a second, women bashing men, let me check if we still live in 2021. When statistics still show that for every dollar men earn women only get 82 cents, women only hold 25% of the executive positions, and work from home has disproportionately burdened women, it's too early to discuss whether women have gone too far to bash men.
Another reason that is less discussed is that, as feminism is often associated with strong, forceful, and angry women, this identity goes against the traditional image of women: gentle, elegant, and submissive. It takes courage to be the one who is regarded as aggressive and risks the invisible punishment from the society in which males still hold power. However, it's those people who take one step further that won the right to be enjoyed by the rest.
The famous shirt "this is what a feminist looks like" worn by a variety of people including President Obama and Benedict Cumberbatch is an effective response to this misperception. When more people are willing to show that feminists are common people who hold the sincere belief that women and men should earn equal rights, the stigmatization will hopefully diminish gradually. Ironically but true, sometimes in gender issues men's voice matters more than women's, as their opinions will be considered more "objective" instead of "self-centered" or "whining". So allies, don't be afraid to show off your feminist self. It helps a ton.
Written by: Cen Chen
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