Why Everything You Think About the F-Word is Wrong

Are you a #woke individual? Do you follow current events and trends? Then chances are you've heard the F-word more than a few times.
No not that one-- 'feminism'. What comes to your mind when you hear that term? Unfortunately, some correlate it with notions of rebellious, sexist, bra-burning hippies. This article is for those poor, uninformed people.

Here are the common misconceptions about feminism:

Feminists hate men.

Misandry is the hatred of men. Feminism and misandry are not synonymous. The point of feminism is not to discredit and overpower men. Which brings us to our second point.....

Feminists want power over men.

Feminism is not about superiority. Feminism is about gender equality-- an attempt to level the playing field and rid society of patriarchy.

All feminists are pro-choice (i.e. abortion).

Feminism is about women being free to make decisions about their bodies and lives for themselves. That goes for abortion too; if a woman wants to abort a fetus, it's her decision, if she doesn't want to, it's also her decision. The only one who should be making decisions about a woman's body is that woman, herself.

Feminists don't want to have children.

That's basically like saying atheists don't want to have pets....

Feminists are all against feminine hair removal.

A person is no less of a feminist for having/not having arm hair; feminism is about women choosing whether or not they want to wax/shave etc., instead of being pressured to do either one by society.

All feminists are career women and discredit stay-at-home moms.

Whether a woman wants to prioritize her career or wants to be a homemaker is her business. She's no less of a woman, or feminist, for choosing either one.

Feminists can only be women.

Uh, feminism is not about discrimination. There are plenty of men who acknowledge gender inequality and its detrimental effects.
Speaking of detriment.....

Feminism is detrimental to men.

If Sarah earning the same salary as, or more than, Sherif's poses a problem for you, you're the problem.
If Mariam having access to birth control poses a problem for you, you're the problem.
If Alaa getting time off from work because she's creating a human inside her poses a problem for you-- wait for it --you're the problem.
If Alaa's husband taking a few weeks/months off to take care of his newborn child poses a problem for you, you're the problem.
If a woman working as a government official/politician/pilot/mechanic/scientist/engineer/police officer etc. poses a problem for you-- yup, you guessed it --you're the problem.

Feminism only focuses on women's rights.

Nope, not true. Feminism focuses on equal rights for everyone. Feminists are concerned with eradicating toxic masculinity, male rape victims and paternal leave just as much as they're concerned with patriarchy, female rape victims and maternity leave.

Feminists are angry and easily offended.

This is usually concluded after saying something insulting, patronizing and/or sexist to a feminist.
If someone insulted or patronized you, we're pretty sure you'd be angry and offended, too.

Feminists don't believe in marriage.

Correction: feminists don't believe in marrying sexist, male-chauvinist individuals with regressive societal ideals.

Feminism promotes lesbianism.

If equal rights promote lesbianism, does gender inequality promote gay men, then?

All feminists were pro-Hilary Clinton.

Sadly, there were women on Trump's side, too. But it's also not sad because it's their business who they vote for, and they should have the right to do so.

All feminists agree with each other and hold the same ideals.

It's not a cult-- feminists are not indoctrinated.
There are three waves (so far) of feminism:

First Wave feminism, which is from the suffragette era, is concerned with stuff like votes for women and equality before the law. Then there's the Second Wave, which focuses on stuff like domestic violence, rape , sexual exploitation [of both women and men]. Finally, you have the Third Wave, which concerns the multi-faceted experiences of feminists due to factors like race, gender and sexuality, and emphasizes creating an all-inclusive alliance.
So, a person may identify more with the 3rd wave, whereas someone else might feel the concerns of the 2nd wave are more relevant to them, ergo we're not all the same.

Feminism is for WASPs only.

Remember what we just said about feminism being all-inclusive?..... Yeah, it's not just for Western 'white people'.

Feminists hate all things stereotypically 'girly'.

What do reproductive rights, the gender pay gap, male-dominated fields and freedom to choose how to live your life have to do with the colour pink?.....

All feminists are activists.

Yeah, we don't all go rally in the streets, just like you don't go to the arctic to save the polar bears. You can believe in something without being political.....

All feminists are left-wing liberals.

Remember when we talked about the women who voted for Trump? Yeah, definitely not left-wing liberals. But were they concerned with their right to vote (1st wavers) ? You bet.

Feminists are hypocritical.

If you think that feminism means it's ok to hit women (or anyone for that matter), there's something wrong with you. What it does mean, is that women can hold open doors for men, too; chivalry should be a human standard, not just for men.

Society doesn't need feminism.