The Stigma Against Feminism

Patriarchal society takes for granted the unpaid emotional and physical labor required of women. When suffragettes began rallying for the right to vote, the structure which pushed the wants and needs of women into the background was threatened, inciting fear among the masses. This fear manifested itself through political cartoons and posters that mocked feminists and depicted them as ugly extremists who hate men.

It is alarming how little this perception of feminism has evolved in the last 100 years. Feminism is still seen as an insult. Consider this —‘ya, my ex-girlfriend was one of those crazy man-hating super feminist types, that’s why it didn’t work out.’ The ‘angry feminist’ trope is not only untrue, but genuinely dangerous. When a cause has ‘feminism’ linked to it, a bias against it forms, rather than awareness and solutions. Some groups deeply hate anything to do with feminism, resulting in blogs and Instagram accounts being made solely to mock local feminist groups and efforts. We are also currently witnessing the rise of ‘meninism’, a social initiative made specifically to work against the feminist movement.

Discussion on the issue of a woman’s right to withdraw consent after sex has been rising in popularity. Rather than being disgusted at the clear lack of bodily autonomy STILL experienced by women in our so-called ‘modern’ societies which resulted in this conversation, the reactions to this campaign have been overwhelmingly insulting. This fundamental right has been argued tirelessly, many suggesting that a woman saying no after already agreeing to sex is similar to asking a girl out on a date and then refusing to show up at the restaurant. To add on, Canadian women are disproportionately represented in homeless, abused, and mentally ill populations. There is a long history of deadly medical negligence when it comes to women, as their concerns are less likely to be taken seriously. The dismissal of feminism gives power to a culture that is already fatally dismissive of women, and undermines the very real issues that continue to plague female populations today.

Following the election of Barack Obama, many claimed that Western society had entered a post racial era, where racism truly does not exist. All one has to do is take a look at today's top stories in the news to know that this is most definitely not the case. Similarly, an overwhelming number of citizens living in Western countries believed that equality of the sexes had already been achieved following the success of the second wave of feminism during the 70s and 80s. Sexist tabloids, movie storylines, and social media continued to flourish in the 90s and 2000s (Framing Britney Spears is a documentary that explores sexism in media culture further in-depth); and they did so because nobody could call them out on it. How can we be sexist, when sexism doesn’t exist anymore? This ignorance has ensured that problems with body image, eating disorders, social anxiety, along with a plethora of associated women's issues have not only carried forward to the next generation, but have been heightened by our ever increasingly technological world.

Current-day feminism is regarded as nothing more than entitled women trying to get the extra privilege. On the entire planet, there is not a single country where women are equal. This is a fact. The stigma against feminism discourages girls and women from standing up for themselves and challenging power systems. It perpetuates toxic ideas of strength and weakness to boys and men, and it makes it that much harder to build a world where feminism is truly not needed.