mena, 16; i like my eyebrows how i like my women: wild, thick and on my face.
Feminism (n). Defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “ the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.” But is that really as simple as it gets? For one, feminism’s primary focus is to achieve a level of equality that all people, no matter gender, race or sexuality, can be treated the same not only by law, but by society. Feminism digs deep into the patriarchal society that has taught us that men are the head of the household, that women were meant to live in a white picket fenced home and raise our children. For some reason, one of the beings (cis-women) who can bring human life into this earth are treated as if our existence is replaceable and expendable. And the men that can give birth, trans men, are at one of the highest rates for being abused, raped, and murdered. Don’t even get me started on the rates for trans women of color, who not only face sexism, but racism and transphobia, all at once. The most toxic belief is that feminists are against men, that we want females to be superior, which simply isn’t true. Feminism is inclusive of all races, sexualities and cultures, all of which include men. Men are feminists. My love Matt McGorry for example. The impression is usually given off by parody feminist accounts that are actually created by anti-feminists to make us seem extremely radical. I recall a certain twitter page that most people use for screenshots (like @MeninistTweet) that post outrageous statements and convince the young people of our society that feminists want people who have periods to free bleed, we want all men charged with rape just for looking at us, and we believe men are all pigs. That simply, isn’t true. What feminists hate is male privilege. What we hate is that men are taught to be the way they are by a society who pressures them from day one to hold in their feelings, be angry, be a “man.” These small actions take part in creating a society where men are repeatedly told, growing up, to stay away from things that are even the slightest bit “feminine.” Imagine growing up being the color red, and being constantly told you don’t want to be anything like blue. Wouldn’t you even start to see blue as less than you? The problem exists in the way that we are raised, what we are taught, and most people’s ability to ignore what they are taught might in fact be wrong. Feminists are gloriously seen as “Angry lesbians who dont shave” and obviously, that’s partly true. Some feminists are lesbians, some don’t shave. Most of us are angry. But to put this label on us is to put up a title that excludes men who identify as feminists, women who are in relationships with men (like me), and women who do shave, and are feminine. It’s just silly. Theres more to feminism than just shaving and free the nipple, which usually fits in the criteria of “white feminism” ie when you, as a feminist, only speak about things like this that affect white women of america. That’s where beautiful, inclusive, intersectional feminism comes in. We love everyone here. We want to help girls in poor places go to school, we want to help stop FGM, we truly care for ALL women. Feminism aspires to change ideals, give everyone the chance to choose what life is for them. Feminism is about helping to empower the voices of those who need to be heard, to stand up and support girls who want to go to school, want to stay home and have a family, want to be sex workers in a safe environment, and women who simply want to exist in a society where they aren’t at a huge risk to be raped.