Photo: A symbol from Germany’s Women’s Movement in the 1970s. Photo by unknown author [Public Domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Giselle Berman/Staff Writer
The idea of female supremacy is the exact opposite of feminism.
Is this surprising to you? If so, please, read on.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines feminism as “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities,” not female empowerment or female superiority.
If you’re not a feminist, that means you don’t support gender equality. Females who say “I support women, but I’m not a feminist” have no idea what they’re talking about. Men who outwardly resent feminism support the patriarchy and basically don’t want anything to change – which I regard as an opinion as valid as others.
In mainstream thought, people are assigned binary gender roles: male and female. Masculinity describes strength and power. Femininity, on the other hand, represents domesticity and being delicate. This describes masculinity as the opposite of femininity, which isn’t necessarily the case.
We live in a society where masculinity represents power. Meanwhile, both physical and psychological aspects of masculinity found in women are undesirable. This is a problem that extremists – notice I didn’t say feminists – try to overcome by not removing body hair, rioting, running around naked and very often engaging in discourse that puts down men as a general whole.
These extremists definitely give feminism a bad name. If you want to have body hair, you can very well do so for yourself and because you support gender equality – not because “men suck.” The idea that everything is good in moderation revolves around the fact that every form of extremism results in negativity.
Women running topless down the streets and down catwalks as large publicity stunts to support the fact that all breasts are made of the same thing are taking the right idea and showing it off in a way for which society is not prepared. Afterwards, supporters of feminism that try to express themselves in less dramatic ways are shut down because of the rooted bias in response to the extremist expression of feminism.
Extremism doesn’t actually define feminism, or at least it shouldn’t.
We must remember that this belief is named “feminism” as opposed to the more descriptive label “gender equality” because females are the targeted gender in the undeniable patriarchy in which we live – especially when this revolutionary expression first came about. If you don’t want to do anything about it or don’t think it’ll change, your belief is absolutely acceptable, but I implore you to understand what “feminism” actually refers to. This way we won’t have so many stink faces in response to the word.
“Female supremacy” is the opposite of “feminism” because it’s the opposite of gender equality. Feminists don’t want females to gain more than males. Feminists don’t want the patriarchy to be turned around.
Feminists simply wish that females have the same rights and gains as males for doing the same things.
You’re allowed to disagree with this idea, but hopefully it’s not because you’re misinformed on the definition of the term “feminism.”
giselle.berman@fiusm.com
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