Rae's Rules to Remember #4: Feminism Myths (Part 3)

A while ago someone reposted an article on Facebook titled “I am a female and I am so over feminists” You can find that article here.

I'm sort of just going to go through this and point out some things. Text form the article is purple.

In the beginning she says, “I am all for girl power but these days it’s getting shoved down our throats. Relax feminists. We’re OK”

Yes, we are okay. We are okay because there has been progress. There has been progress because the feminists that you are “so over” have fought to make sure that you are okay. We are okay, but okay is not good enough and we will continue to fight until we are not saying that we are just “okay,” but that we are great because we finally have what we’ve been fighting for. Equality does not yet exist. Not just for women but also for men. So maybe you are okay, but we as a whole are not.

Then she says “My inspiration actually came from a man (God forbid a man have an idea these days).” Uhh…..who exactly said that men having ideas was problematic? So many people fail to realize that feminism is meant to support men too. That men aren’t always treated equally and fairly. But let’s get back into the article.

Apparently someone was telling her about a class discussion centered on how women are treated in sports. If you want proof on the discrepancy between men and women in sports related areas, watch ESPN for a day and tell me how many times you see female athletes and what questions their being asked and the difference from them and male athletes. I haven't seen any male sports reporters receiving rape and death threats....

She soon follows up with, First of all, this is the 21st century. Women have never been more respected. Right, that's why there's been a decrease in sexual assault cases against women, rapists are finally being put away, society is actually believing women when they report domestic violence and women are no longer harassed in the workplace......Oh wait, no that's some made up fantasy land! I mean sure yes we have more legal rights now but legal rights don't always mean equal treatment.

Whatever happened to chivalry? Why is it so “old fashioned” to allow a man to do the dirty work or pay for meals? Feminists claim that this is a sign of disrespect, yet when a man offers to pick up the check or help fix a flat tire (aka being a gentleman), they become offended. No, we don't claim that actually and you can't say that opinion is common among all feminists just because two women in a Buzzfeed video said so (The link is in the original article).

Though there is still considered to be a glass ceiling for the working female, it’s being shattered by the perseverance and strong mentality of women everywhere. So, let’s stop blaming men and society for how we continue to “struggle” and praise the female gender for working hard to make a mark in today’s workforce. We’re doing a kick-ass job, let’s stop the complaining.

I'm just gonna go ahead and say that patriarchy is the fault of men. They created it for dominance. No that does not mean that all men are sexist assholes but even if they oppose it, they do still benefit from it. So while agree that we can't blame every single man for the struggles that we face, the "complaints" are pretty damn valid. And wanting to make more progress doesn't mean that work of past women doesn't matter. It's possible to celebrate those accomplishments while still striving to move forward.

Later in the article she actually says “Men and women are meant to complement one another – not to be equal or to overpower.” So which one is it? Because if we’re not equal then one has more power.

I am all for being a proud woman and having confidence in what I say and do. I believe in myself as a powerful female and human being. However, I don’t believe that being a female entitles me to put down men and claim to be the “dominant” gender. There is no “dominant” gender. There’s just men and women. Women and men. We coincide with each other, that’s that. Feminism has nothing to do with putting down men and trying to get equality isn't claiming dominance. But how can she say that there's no dominant gender when she claims that men and women are not meant to be equal?

Feminism is about gender equality. That means that women should have the same rights as men AND that men should have the same rights as women. She also mentions something the lines of, “It’s just men and women. Women and men…embrace it.” WRONG AGAIN! Gender is not a binary, it’s a spectrum. How about you embrace that?

Do some women use feminism the wrong way? Yes, but why are people so unwilling to educate themselves and others on what this movement is really about? If you still don’t get it, educate yourself instead of letting people who don’t know what you’re talking about convince you to believe bullshit.