Feminism has had to deal with its misguided reputation for far too long. Organizations like Women Against Feminism and theantifeminist.com argue with conviction that the feminist movement is a “war upon men” and “hypocritical ignorance.” To them, feminism means sexism towards men and rigid ideas of how women should act. They believe that feminism is doing more harm than good and I’d like to correct that notion. The goal of feminism is the social, political and economic equality of the sexes; and that means for men as well as women.
However, we are far from that ideal goal, as we found out at PHS last semester when the Feminism Club held an event called the Who Needs Feminism Campaign. Students held up signs saying reasons why feminism is still important today. They all posed for photos which are displayed on the Who Needs Feminism Facebook page. Over 60 students came up with over 30 unique reasons for why the social, political and economic equality of the sexes is still not yet within our grasp. Students brought up everything from sexual assault, to government legislation on women’s bodies, to society’s unfair expectations around shaving. It’s remarkable that so many students at PHS have a personal beef with some form of societal sexism, misogyny or gender stereotyping. Clearly feminists still have a lot of work to do.
Something else that stood out to me about that campaign was that it gave male students a chance to call for justice on issues pertaining to the male sex, such as rigid gender roles and one man’s dream to be a stay-at-home dad. One of the most frustrating arguments against feminism that I’ve heard is that it ignores men’s issues. The title is FEM-inism right? If it were really equal, why don’t they call it equalism? It’s because changing the name ignores the 200 years of history behind the cause, which started with the aim of elevating the status of women to be equal to that of men. Saying the word “feminism” is sexist, is like saying the “Black Lives Matter” slogan is racist. Movements are started by those groups most ignored or oppressed by society. It is true that all lives matter and that men’s issues are just as important as women’s. In fact, that’s what feminists are trying to help the world understand.
These days, feminism embraces equality for all, including (but not limited to) LGBTQ rights and men’s rights. However it’s pretty difficult to make change if only a few of those concerned participate. Positive change can continue happening if everyone understood how feminism affects them. The Feminism Club will be holding more events in the coming semester, at which I will be actively participating. 60 people was a great start. Next time, let’s try for 100. If all of those reasons displayed on the Who Needs Feminism Facebook page tell us anything, it’s that We All Need Feminism.
