Tag: america

From a very young age, I’ve been proud to be a woman.

I grew up in a family in which my mother was the bread-winner. My father, may he rest in peace, was not mentally sound, nor capable, of supporting a family. He spent the majority of my life sick, in and out of the hospital for months and years on end. My mother was the one who not only went to work every day, but came home and ensured there was food on the table, a roof over my head, and that every parent-teacher conference, softball game, and camp bus pick-up was taken care of.

My mother raised me in a household that proved a woman can be both the old stereotypical “mother” who takes care of her children, makes sure they are well-off, clothed, fed, and “cheered on,” while simultaneously taking on the role of the old stereotypical “father”—going to work every day and paying the bills.

In a society that tells women that men are in charge—they are the ones who should pay the bills, go to work, run the corporations, make the decisions—I have profoundly disagreed. I saw firsthand that women are strong, capable, intelligent human beings who deserve just as much say in the world, just as much pay, just as much power, as a man. In terms of feminism, I agree that women should be equal. There is no reason that a woman should be paid less, treated less than, or given less of a voice in society and in politics/the word.

But, today, feminism has morphed into something much, much different than gender equality. Instead of fighting for equality and the right to be treated the same as many men are, it’s become a bloodbath of slandering all men—generalizing them into animals, disgusting and drooling animals who do nothing but objectify women and leave us, powerless victims.

Feminism today has lost its tone from when we were fighting for equality. Sure, feminism is still rooted in those very values and morals—that women should be treated equally, given equal opportunities, and equal pay. But, more often, when feminism is talked about and discussed, we’re tearing down men and pinning them as monsters, instead of trying to brainstorm and come up with changes we can make to bring forth this equality we have so longed for and fought for.

Men have no longer been just “men,” and instead, are “sexist,” or “misogynists,” or “pigs.” I don’t discredit the fact that yes, there are men in society who are these things. There are men in society who are pigs. But, all men? No, not all men. It’s time we stop generalizing an entire sex in order to bring forth some “power” for women. It’s hypocritical of us to try to reach equality by stepping on men and pushing them down. That’s not the fight we’re trying to fight. In order to reach equality, we need to embrace equal rights, not try and push feminism down everyone’s throats that women are better than men. 

Feminism should be about supporting, lifting, and embracing strong, independent, and powerful women—without having to slander men in the process. I am in full support of women being the breadwinners, women making the changes society needs, and women getting paid and compensated the appropriate and right wage to do so. What I don’t support is man-hating in order to get the job done. Some men are bad, yes. But all men? Not all men.