10 Terribly Wrong Perceptions of Feminists
We’re facing an awful misunderstanding at the moment: the wrong perceptions of feminists.
Feminism is one of the most controversial subjects at the moment and it gathers more and more supporters everyday. The problem is though that not everybody knows exactly what feminism stands for.
And I’m not only talking here about ignorant men that haven’t even bother to find out what it really means, but even the people who proclaim themselves a feminist don’t know what it stands for, so basically they’re fighting for all the wrong reasons.
I’m going to make it clearer today for all of you that are interested in this matter and for more inspiration, you should follow the famous feminist models like Emma Watson and Hillary Clinton.
10.They hate men
The most common and I have to say the most annoying misunderstanding when it comes to feminists is that they hate men’s guts.
Let me give you the official definitions of feminism that you’re going to find in any dictionary:
the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities
the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
So, calm down because feminists DO NOT hate men, not even close. We don’t want to kneel the men out there, we just want the women to stand in the same line with them and that’s all.
9.They are opposed to marriage
So, following the first myth that we just broke down, let me continue this idea: no, feminists are not crazy independent women that stand against marriage.
All the women out there who proclaimed themselves feminists and really know what this means do want to get married some day and have a family.
But there was a misunderstanding somewhere along the way. Allow me to clarify it for you.
The feminists try to bring out to light one issue that should be disturbing to all of us: the fact that the society teaches women to aspire to marriage, it makes women to build their life always keeping in mind that in the end the most important thing is to get married.
And it is indeed an important step in one’s life, but the problem is that the society doesn’t teach men the same thing as though women get married on their own and there isn’t a second part in the equation.
So, you see, it’s not about not getting married, it’s about both men and women aspiring to marriage at the same level.
8.They’re a bunch of lesbians
This is one of the craziest perceptions I’ve heard about feminists: they’re all a bunch of lesbians.
How on Earth could that possibly become a common theory?! It’s not about the sexual orientation, it’s about a person’s belief!
Of course, there are lesbians that are feminists, but that doesn’t mean anything at all. It’s like you’re saying that if some lesbians are atheist than this means all female atheists are lesbians. That’s completely insane, right?
Note: don’t make any correlation with atheism, it was the first example that crossed my mind given the fact that atheism is a choice as is feminism.
7.They’re angry all the time
Well, this one I find it kind of amusing.
Let me make one thing clear, please: feminists are not an army of warriors.
We’re not going to roam the streets and fight all men in sight or attack you on any occasion we find slightly disturbing.
And to be honest, the most respects feminists that have become role models among us are highly educated women that know what respect means. You will never see them creating a scene and yelling at a man at the corner of the street.
These are ladies that fight for a bigger cause in the most elevated way possible.
6.They’re baby murderers
Another misconception about feminists is that they’re baby murderers.
Let me just make something clear here, there are several types of feminists. There are those who plead against abortion and there are those that support it, not encouraging it, but they understand that sometimes it’s necessary.
And to be completely honest, I agree with the second category and that doesn’t make me a child murderer. I can assure you that there is no satisfaction to any woman in doing an abortion, but there are certain circumstances when it is mandatory.
It’s better to do an abortion than to bring a baby in the world and let it starve because you cannot provide him enough food or to fail at raising him because you’re too young yourself. You don’t take his life away, you save him from a cruel life.
And not to mention that abortion is a human right and an act of freedom that we can use when we consider it necessary.
5.They’re sexist
The fact that feminists are considered by many to be sexist should come as no surprise by now.
As I was saying in the beginning, feminists don’t hate men, therefore no, we’re not sexist. We’re not going to discriminate men now.
We’re fighting for this, for the fact that society discriminates women, we’re not going to do the same to men because this is not a movement for revenge, it is a movement for peace and equalibriu,/
Let me put it this way:
Feminists don’t believe in genders, they believe in humans.
4.They’re not feminine
This is one of the craziest things I’ve heard and it actually managed to surprise me.
Here’s a theory I’ve heard: if you’re a feminist, you cannot be feminine.
So, there’s this perception once again that a feminist is a brutal female warrior that’s trying to be more masculine. It seems to me that we have another problem here, you don’t know what masculinity means either.
No, feminists aren’t trying to be more masculine. In fact they’re not trying to be like men at all when it comes to appearance, character, personality or manners. As long as I remember Emma Watson is one of the most feminine women I’ve ever known and she is a firmly convinced feminist; I’m just saying.
Feminists want to be equal to men in the society and that’s 100% different.
3.Cannot be trusted by men
Another myth that’s going around about feminists is that they cannot be trusted by men.
What do you think, gentlemen, that they’re going to stab you behind your back and steal your job, betray you to work their way to the top and turn everyone against you because they’re feminists?
Get serious. Feminists couldn’t care less if you’re a man or a woman.
If you treat them with respect like you would do with any other human being, you’ll be getting the same amount of respect back.
It’s only the fact that you know she’s a feminists unconsciously make you not trust her because if wouldn’t know this aspect you wouldn’t feel that way.
2.They can always be excused for being women
Let me make this as loud and clear as I can: we do not expect to be excused for everything because we’re women.
We do not expect to be excused from our jobs because we’re going through tough times, nor because we’re having our period or if we make a mistake.
This is part of the equality I was talking before. We don’t want to be superior, nor more privileged, but simply equal to men.
If we’ve made a mistake, we accept it and suffer the consequences like anyone else would have done. We’re not looking to have an easier life because of our gender.
1.It’s a woman’s job
And here it is the most common myth about feminists.
Let’s be honest now. When you hear the word “feminist” you automatically think about a woman, am I right?
There’s the misconception. Supposedly, all feminists are women, but that couldn’t be more wrong. Men are feminists, too. Yes, there are men out there who are aware of this unfair problem in the society and support the cause of feminism.
And lately, more and more male celebrities proclaimed themselves feminists and support all women out there to fight for their right.
Let me give you some examples to follow: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Russell Crowe, John Legend.
