I am a feminist – a male feminist.
To many people, this would be seen as shocking and unheard of because feminism is viewed by some as a vile term that makes people become hate-filled machines.
In reality, feminism is about finding a mutual equality between all genders through education and a reform in our society.
Feminism has always received a large amount of resistance over the years, and one of the more recent moments is the #Meninism “movement.”
If you have been around any debates regarding gender inequality on social media recently, there is a good chance you might have come across this hashtag, usually paired with a statement regarding men’s rights.
Meninists believe that the progression of feminism has left many men behind in their quest for social justice, feeling that men are being oppressed through misandry from feminism.
When researching the common complaints that meninists feel, I found that they feel men are constantly being expected to be a tall, ripped, bread winner that is supposed to be complacent to women.
In all fairness, it is reasonable to not want to be cornered into certain expectations because of your gender.
I can say for myself that I shouldn’t have to fulfill certain expectations simply because I have a Y chromosome.
However, this doesn’t negate the truth of what meninism is.
If there are any readers who are meninists, I am going to tell you are actually feminists.
That’s right, your quests for being treated equally, not being objectified by society and not having to conform to a certain expectation are all of the same things that feminism strives to achieve.
Though the only difference between these movements is how each group chooses to present themselves.
The best thing meninism has done so far is donate some of the money generated from their #Meninism shirts to charity.
Feminism has inspired women across the world to set unprecedented achievements across the globe.
Just last year, feminism has given us people like Laverne Cox, Malala Yousafzai and Mo’ne Davis advocating for women’s rights through artistry, education and athleticism.
With all due respect meninists, your movement has failed to positively impact the world since you have become a movement.
Perhaps I might be wrong. Perhaps I am unfairly pigeonholing meninists everywhere as a bunch of misogynistic, uneducated jerks.
If there are any meninists out there enraged by this opinion piece, I invite you to reply to this piece by clearly explaining why feminism is doing more harm than good.
I genuinely would like to see some discussion about this topic in hopes of seeing some understanding come out of this.
