Wait, What About Men's Rights?

Recently, I've found there is a lot of talk surrounding men and their oppression. Many men have begun to speak up about them being demonized due to being thought of as rapists. Others have begun to fight for their "rights." I don't know anyone who doesn't deal with a form of oppression. We all have areas of our lives that make up more disadvantaged than others (as well as areas where we are more advantaged). People are layered, and there identity is not ever just made of one single element.

While keeping this in mind, I think that it's essential for women to be in the spotlight, fighting for their rights. Although we've progressed, we still live in a society that is male-dominated. Many men see this as them being attacked, and have decided that they want to do the same thing. And that's where some problems arise.

Undoubtedly, we live in a patriarchal society. Although women have much more job opportunities, it's still much harder for them to get jobs (and that's only one example of the sexism they face). While men face issues, they are more to do with past cultural norms and less to do with rights. It seems that every right a woman faces for is counteracted, and I think it's important to talk about what women's rights activism is needed, and it's not just an unnecessary hobby of extremists.

1. "Men get sexually assaulted too, and no one cares about that."
I think that anyone being sexually assaulted is terrible. Men have it so hard because they are often deemed as "weak" and that they need to "man up." I am an activism for male survivors' rights, because I don't think there's anywhere near enough support. However, a lot of these words that are used to put down this group, are actually words associated with females. Weak, for example, is used to put men down and make them feel that what they are saying is not valid. We need feminism because it seeks to validate that emotions and other attributes associated with women are wonderful things (in both women and men).

2. "Women get to wear clothing like short shorts, and then complain about being 'slut shamed.' Men just can't wear short shorts, period."
Of course, I definitely believe that clothing is a beautiful form of self-expression. Yes, society says it's bad for men to wear "skimpy" clothes, yet they are allowed to walk around with no shirts on. Women and girls on the other hand are surrounded by media telling them how skinny they have to be, and the moment they feel proud enough of their body to show it, they are put down (while men - media telling them to be strong and muscular - showing that off would not paint them as negative).

3. "Men are objectified and sexualized in the media too."
Of course. They media paints everyone as a sexual being. It's all about sex. While sex isn't always a bad thing, often the way it's portrayed in ads is. While both genders may be sexualized, it's interesting that in ads, men are constantly the dominant one. This gives an image to us viewers, that men are on top. Not by any fault of ours, but the psychological effect is more than we think.

4. "Women have pressures, but so do men. We have to be fit and strong."
It's sad that so many of the pressures do exist. But when you think about it, why is it so bad to not be strong? Because if you're not, you're weak. Being called a "girl" is one of the worst insults. And that's why this all relates back to how sexism exists (and yes, even men can face sexism from a men-are-better-than-women standpoint).

5. By saying things such as 'teach boys not to rape,' women are oppressing men."
The fact is that young girls are growing up being told how to be safe. Boys are taught nothing at all, while perpetrators are commonly male. This is not blaming all men, but saying that all children need to be taught about the issue, and not just girls. There are so many young boys who have been sexually abused, and by actually talking about it, they would not feel so stigmatized.

By no means am I saying men don't face problems too, because they do. What each person feels is 100% valid. But when it comes to the gender gap, it's common that little education leads to men feeling attacked, when it's not the idea at all. Women and men need to unite in order to create equity.

This Is What A Feminist Looks Like

I am a feminist, and being one, I get quite a bit of hate. People tend to have such a negative view on feminism. A large part has to do with the portrayal of them in the media. To many people, feminists are male-hating extremists that like to shove their ideas in your face.

Yes, of course there are feminists like that. But in every belief or movement, there are people who are extreme. Take religion for example. There are those people who use religion to practice hate, but that's definitely not everyone. Yet, it's the people who act on the extreme end that end up representing everyone in that group, because they are the ones gaining the most attention.

So what exactly is feminism? There are different kinds of feminism, but for the most part, it's just gender equality! Being a feminist is recognizing that in our patriarchal society, women do face oppression. It's not saying that women are better than men, but instead that there are still gaps in gender equality which needs to be fixed.

The whole idea of hatred towards men is called misandry. Misandry and feminism are two completely different things. A person can be a feminist who is misandrious, but it is not something built in the roots of feminism itself.

And yes, men can be feminists too! I personally know some wonderful male feminists who are huge allies to women. They're active in ending violence against women and fighting against the gender gaps in society. The reality is that any form of inequality ends up affecting everyone, and it's everyone's job to take part in bringing justice.

Many social services practice feminism in their framework, since this is an excellent approach when working with oppressed groups, especially women. It's not to say that they don't work with men. But recognizing that there are more privileged groups in our society is important. It doesn't make them more or less valuable, but it means they have much different experiences and struggles.

Feminism isn't something to be ashamed of, but proud of. To sum it up, if you believe in gender equality, you might just be a feminist.