I recently came across an article that seemed to echo what I have heard from a lot of my family, friends, and complete strangers. So I have decided I would ~attempt~ to clear up some common misconceptions about feminism.
Feminism gets a bad rep. People who label themselves as feminists are often imagined as women who portray themselves as the victim and blame the straight white male for every problem they encounter. While I may occasionally joke that men suck on twitter, it is never okay to blame an entire gender for every terrible thing. That person is not a feminist, though they may think so. That person is a misandrist.
Feminism is the theory of the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. This includes issues like the gender pay gap, sexism, sexual harassment, traditional gender roles and stereotypes, women's health care, and many more.
It's not just a girl thing; guys can be feminists too. Lots of men feel like they can't be feminists because the issues don't relate to them. While feminism works to solve issues that pertain to women, it also addresses issues that men face like machismo and other gender stereotypes. Don't let the "fem" part in feminist fool you. It's for everybody.
Lot's of people technically are feminists but don't like the potential scrutiny that may come with it. Guys may fear it would emasculate them. Girls may think it would turn guys off. But the only literal qualification of being a feminism is believing everyone should be seen as equal. Don't let the gung-ho feminists turn you away from it altogether.
Just because you are a feminist doesn't mean that you are expected to be out picketing, protesting, and burning bras. While some people feel comfortable in their beliefs enough to take such measures, others may start out in just believing the idea and growing outward at their own pace. Guys could call out cat-callers, girls could shut down guys interrupting them--the actions can as big or little as you're cool with. It doesn't take much to be revolutionary.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and my purpose is not to lure people over to feminism (although that would be fantastic). My point is to change the idea of what a feminist looks like. It's not someone who is easily offended. It's not someone who envisions a utopia that excludes men. It's a person who fights against the notion that women are not smart enough, not strong enough, not good enough, because believe it or not, women encounter these toxic people at some point in their life, some more than others.
People say, "Just ignore them. They're just willfully ignorant people." But silence can be seen as complacency, and I would rather stand up for myself and be called a bitch than staying quiet and hope things eventually change.
