Feminist not man Hater

Artist: Sara Anderasson 

Feminist, not Man-Hater.

There is much propaganda when it comes to the term feminism as well as the guiding principles governing the feminist movement/agenda; with several phrases hovering like metaphoric dark clouds, it is no surprise that it can be very confusing for individuals to identify with the movement.

In a BBC article by Dr. Christina Scharff, a senior lecturer in culture, media, and creative industries at King's College London. Scharff discovered that in popular feminist geo-zones such as the US and Europe, some women did not feel the term 'feminist' resonated with them. This might be as a result of the wrongful depiction and stereotypes attached to the movement.

Man-Hater. Angry. Delusional Lesbians. Misplaced priorities; all these and many other fabulous phrases have been coined when it comes to addressing the feminist agenda as well as individuals who battle for equality among the sexes.

'A lot can be ascribed to the way they (feminists) present themselves and the wishy-washy manner of their ideals and concepts' a young woman mentioned when asked her opinion on feminists. But in reality, the underlining catalyst for this misrepresentation is the lack of society to fully grasp the threshold of the movement.

My people perish from their lack of wisdom- a proverbial warning on the harm of ignorance which is exactly where society is headed due to its misinformation. Thus, providing major threats in relation to feminism and gender equality.

But, what is equality? Or better still, what is society's understanding of the term 'Equality'? I dare say, this is where the matter builds up. Modern society is so steadily built up on ideals and cultures of patriarchal practices that some of us are not able to discern between what is equal and unequal in respects to gender, even if there were to be a red beacon shining above.

A classic example; the 2018 interview with esteemed author Chimamanda Adiche. Adiche stated that she did not need a man to open doors for her, implying that she would appreciate it if society let her open her doors herself (not that she was asking permission in anyway) thus reiterating her position as a feminist. And for that she was labelled a Man-Hater.

Why exactly?

While it is not possible for everyone to appreciate such as stance, but society's decision to witch-hunt her based on her remark, can be easily explained. Adiche's actions were out of line with the principles of patriarchy; a break from the norm.

Chimamanda Adiche on the Daily View encouraging kindness not based on gender

For centuries women have been thought off as to be protected. Sourcing from history's depiction of females as the fairer sex, such ideas has been passed down, but in reality all that protection has done is materialize into a glass ceiling cage.   

In the case of Chimamanda Adiche, all she did was ask for equality. Nothing over the top, but the refusal of society to educate itself, lead to the misinterpretation of signals, birthing the idea somewhere along the lines that she has an in-depth hatred for men, because she wanted to be treated equal to any other man.

Feminism is equality in plain clothes. Her words imbibe the doctrine that one should be treated fairly regardless of sex, not preaching words of hate. 

Open the for a woman if only you are going to open it for the man after her. It preaches that things should not be handed over to people based on their sex, but individuality should be the rule of the day and humanity its guiding principle.

Here is a woman asking for responsibility and most of what was to be said was that she was a man-hater. Proving the point that most of society does not understand what it wants. 

When dealing with feminist theories, one cannot stray to far from gender and what society has ascribed 'feminine' to mean; synonymizing it with terms such as weak, fragile and delicate. This is what labels women who break the norm as man-haters, implying that their decision for independence as humans comes from their hatred of men and men's position of power. Feminism is not an attack on men, it is an attack on a system which glorifies men over women.

People are not threatened by feminism until it hits them in the face, such with other matters  as religion and race. But Feminism’s unfair representation stems from the fact that a lot of individuals pick and choose what aspect of the concept they would like to actualize, not taking the time to educate themselves, indirectly bastardizing the process.

Feminists are not man-haters, they are just conscious of their rights, their responsibilities, their goals and are trying to make the world right.  

We hope you enjoyed our blog post.