Look up any definition of the word “feminism” and I guarantee you won’t find anything regarding hating or neglecting men. That’s because at it’s core, feminism is only about one thing: equality of the sexes. Being a feminist does not mean you must disrespect men or ignore them altogether. Yet “Meninist” and “Women Against Feminism” movements still exist in opposition to the current postmodern feminist era because people are still misinformed about what feminism means.
Earlier today, I stumbled upon this disheartening image encouraging women to ignore the “new age, bitter single brauds” and “spoil” their men. Everything about this image, from the picture used to the text, sets the progress women have made toward equality back about 50 years. It shows how many people are still uneducated in regards to what a feminist is and puts woman back into a traditional stereotypical role. For starters, the picture used in this image shows a woman in a sexualized role, which encourages the idea that women are only here to serve and please men. The man is dressed in business attire, suggesting that only men are capable of supporting his family. Both traditional roles, largely seen in the media, limit men and women from reaching their full potential.
As for the text, this “new age shit” described is properly called postmodern feminism. All this new era is enforcing is political, social and economic equality for the sexes. It is not a movement that belongs solely to women, but stands for basic human rights. Who wouldn’t want respect or equality?
Photo by Geralt on Pixabay.
What this new era means is a new beginning for women to fight for equal rights with men and demand the respect they deserve. For centuries, women have been discriminated against and looked at as inferior to men. In the past, the only roles women were allowed to take on were that of mother or wife. The only things women were seen as being good at were cooking, cleaning and tending to their men. What this new era is saying is that women are capable of so much more than that. Yet this image suggests the only thing women are good for is that exact traditional stereotype from years ago.
One thing this image does get right is that there is nothing wrong with catering to your man. There isn’t a feminist rulebook telling women they aren’t allowed to do nice things for their significant other such as cooking him dinner or giving him praise. Relationships are all about respecting each other and being there for each other. Yet there is still a popular belief that feminists are against men. Take actress Kaley Cuoco for example, who received a lot of criticism for her Redbook Magazine interview where she said she didn’t consider herself a feminist because she likes to come home to her man and take care of him. As long as your man respects you, then there is nothing wrong with you respecting him back.
Photo by Public Domain Pictures on Pixabay
Sure, there might be times when our significant others have had a long day and need some extra love and care. All I’m saying is, I have long days too. Where’s my backrub? More and more women are going to work and achieving their career goals. This is a huge step forward for women. However, they are still expected to come home and take on the “womenly” duties of cooking dinner, cleaning the house, and taking care of the kids. Whether you are in a relationship or a marriage, it is still a partnership. So why can’t the man in the household help clean and take care of the kids too? Why can’t we cook a delicious meal together? Women should not be expected to do all of the above just because they are women and gender stereotypes tell them they can’t do otherwise. This “new era” means breaking down gender roles and negative stereotypes so both sexes can live equally.
Finally, the image ends telling readers not to listen to some “new age, bitter single braud.” This sentence is the most disheartening of all. The idea that feminists are just angry single women who are bitter about not finding love and want to blame all men as a result is false. I know plenty of women who consider themselves feminists and are also in healthy, happy relationships — myself included.
