Equality: Negative Connotations Of Being A Feminist

Equality. When we think of this word, there is no negative connotation behind it. When we think of the word "equality", we think of, well, being equal. Equal rights for everyone - being treated the same regardless of our gender, race, ethnicity, career choice or whether we like Drake more than Kanye West. No one is more superior than another. Equality. It's something we all strive for in today's world.

Now feminism - that's a different story. There are all sorts of negative connotations behind the word "feminism", or "feminist". Usually, when people today think of feminists, they think of angry, man-hating, whiny, unattractive, hairy arm-pitted females screaming irrational insults at men in an attempt to promote female dominance. This in return, …show more content…
Being a feminist isn't about hating men and not wanting to shave any of your body hair (but hey, if you want to shave every inch off, then that's cool too). It's about women getting a choice in creating and building their futures. It's about giving young girls the courage to stand up for their rights and not be bombarded by the older generation, saying that they're "just a silly little girl", and that they "have no idea what they're talking about". Feminism is about women being given the same rights as men do, whether in the workplace or in the street. It's about women breaking out of traditional gender roles into ones where a woman can do the same thing as a man, and simultaneously about woman being able to stay in those traditional gender roles and not be degraded for what they do. It's about young girls and women everywhere being able to own their own bodies, allowing them to make the choices in what they wear and how they act, because they belong to themselves and nobody else. It’s about allowing women to enjoy life without the threat that a man would spike her drink and lure her down the back alley, because let’s be honest, that is a genuine fear for women in society today. It’s about women being involved on my behalf, in the policies and decisions that affect my life. It's about women being given the right to make their own decisions about their future, and the future of their …show more content…
I, myself, never truly understood what feminism was, and I too fell into the trap of thinking that all feminists were against men, and wanted them to fall to their knees as they began to conquer the world, one hairy leg at a time. But when I soon looked into the definition of feminism and what it was all about, I realized that I had actually been a feminist my whole life. This realization lead me to understand that I wasn't the only one out there. The implementation of these negative feminist stereotypes is the main cause of many girls choosing not to identify with being a feminist, and the focus mainstream media and society in general has on typical feminist ways, is a major factor in what causes what is often referred to as, internalized misogyny. Internalized misogyny refers to females' involuntary internalization of sexist viewpoints that are present in their societies and culture. Internalized misogyny can be conscious, in which girls actively hate on other girls, whether it's because of their behaviour or how they look, or unconscious, in which the women who consciously hold feminist views still unconsciously regard themselves and others as lesser to men. Plenty of teenage girls suffer from this - whether it will be petty feuds between girls in their class, or the extreme hatred for a female celebrity. But surely, all girls want to live in a world where they are