I had the chance to go around Towson and ask some students a few questions about feminism. They were able to tell me what in their opinion feminism means and whether or not men could be feminists. Check out their answers in the video down below:
Many students mention how they believe feminism has a lot to do about women’s rights and gaining equal rights to men. One student mentions how negative stereotypes have an influence on what some may believe about the word. For example, some people may think that all feminists are just a bunch of bra burning, non-shaving bullies who hate men (which is so far from the truth — not all feminists are like that). Everyone agrees that it is possible for both men and women to be feminists. Feminism has truly evolved over the years and is much more inclusive than some have been led to believe. Many also agreed that feminism is about listening to women and seeing things from their perspective. One way this can be done is through reading books or articles written by feminist advocates from all walks of life.
What is feminism?
Feminism is a word that does not always mean same thing to everyone. In fact, some people may not even know what feminism means.
Over the years, the meaning of feminism has greatly changed, and today many have adopted an intersectional approach to it.
According to Jamie Utt and Jenika McCrayer who write for the website Everyday Feminism, intersectional feminism can be best described as:
“…a movement to combat systemic and institutional oppression that disproportionately affects disenfranchised groups in our society with the main focus on women…Our feminism centers women, trans folks, and non-binary people, particularly those most marginalized and oppressed in our society because of race, class, ability, religion, sexual identity, citizenship experience, or body size”.
Feminism is a movement that benefits everyone, especially those who are harmed by the negative effects that come out of the patriarchy we live in.
If feminism is not as bad as it has been stereotyped to be and helps more than harm, shouldn’t we all be feminists?