There have been many changes to the way we use language over the last few years in order to be politically correct yet, in some jobs, women still earn less than men. Maybe this can be condoned to a certain extent but it doesn't make it right or fair for a man to still be granted more power in this sense.
Obviously there are going to be certain jobs that a man is going to be better at and likewise for a woman but if both sexes do a particular job equally as well as each other, why do they not receive equal pay? This argument is everything feminism is about. Many people don't understand it because its denotative meaning is lost among assumptions, rumors and often, things that just plain aren't true.
But it's not just males who take on this judgemental attitude when faced with the prospect of believing in equal rights between men and women. Talk to a female who doesn't share these beliefs and many will question the sexuality of a feminist in a 'How's the weather?' tone. This mundane approach to what is ultimately quite a personal question apparently warrants asking it. If they don't ask it's likely they'll just assume. On principle, this is probably much worse.
Because the connotations of feminist are 'Man-hating lesbian', other life choices are also thrown into speculation. It is the general assumption that feminists don't wear makeup or shave their legs, are sexually repressed and believe themselves to be better than the entire male population. What about men who call themselves feminists? Do they look to their own sex with hatred? Or is it just thought that men can't be feminists without being completely emasculated by those who actually have no idea what the definition of the word is?
Feminism is about equality between men and women, not degrading, insulting or suggesting that men are the weaker sex. There have been many changes to the way women are treated over the years but there are still plenty of examples of how equality does not exist. Would a woman get the same response as a man would if she was to be promiscuous? Whereas there are many terms ('slag', 'slut' etc) to refer to women, men don't get quite the same treatment. It is socially acceptable, or perhaps even desirable, for a man to behave in this way.
Hating men does not come in to it and is not the definition of feminism. Nor does it mean that feminists can't be feminine. It makes no logical sense to assume that all feminists are masculine or, as is sometimes thought, that they want to be men. Why would a woman who spends her time defending the rights of women and supporting the idea of equality between sexes want to be a man?
If feminism has to been seen as anger at anything, please let it be the way perceptions are controlled by society rather than at anyone who was born with an X and a Y chromosome. Not only is it unfair for men to be seen as a target for the abuse of the feminist sisterhood, it is unfair for other people to make the judgement that that's how all feminists are.
People should be free to think what he or she wants to think but maybe next time someone references feminism, you'll think twice about fitting them into a category.
