The True Definition of Feminism

Man-hating or woman-loving? Equality or an excuse to determine moral pride? Is there a difference between these terms and which one is right when defining feminism? It has been made very clear by constant controversy over what feminism means that it has been stretched out into multiple concepts. Dictionary definitions, stem roots, original intentions, misconceptions, and most importantly the means of attempting to maintain peace and equality are all stirred up in the quest to find an answer. Now the main question remains, what is the true definition of feminism?

Let’s start with the dictionary definition: the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men. The importance of the word “equal” in that definition will assist in differentiating the different ideas based on their dictionary definitions. To understand feminism, it is just as important to understand the concepts that are not.

This concept has been widely mixed up; “feminism” isn’t actually the dictionary definition of feminism. This is when people advocate for females to be overpowering males, to be in power. As it can be seen, while feminism roots for “equality of the sexes” female supremacy doesn’t comply with balance. A lot of people claim to be feminist while following the way of female supremacy leading to one of the many misconceptions of the definition of feminism. Assisting this misconception is the term “modern feminism” which is used to describe these supremacists. One subtle example of this is the apparent negative connotation behind the word “man” after repeated use of it as a prefix to words such as “mansplaining” or “manosphere”. Phrases such as “I hate all men” or “kill all men” can be seen all over social media outlets only contributing to the degrading of men. Although many have argued that these phrases can't hurt men due to their current power, campaigns such as the HeForShe Campaign recognize the importance of including men in feminism in order to change the world. In a speech for UN Women, Emma Watson stated, referring to a past speech about feminism that, “less that 30% of the audience were male. How can we affect change in the world when only half of it is invited?...I’ve seen my father’s role being valued less by society...I've seen young men suffering from mental illness, unable to ask for help, for fear it would make them less of a [man].” She went on to say, “that fighting for women’s right has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain is that this has to stop. For the record, feminism, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.”

It is also important to understand what misogyny is in order to fully capture the concept of feminism due to the fact that it is one of the biggest problems feminists face. Misogyny is the direct opposite of female supremacy. It degrades females to bring power to males. Misogynists believe that females don’t deserve to be treated equally, contradicting the concept of feminism. When arguing against the validity of feminism, misogyny is the most common case because the majority of feminists are females. Although the concept is being conversed more in recent times, misogyny has been at play for centuries, first being named in the 17th century after an anti-women pamphlet popularized. Nowadays, there is no shortage of sexist remarks ranging from Serena Williams having to point out the misogyny in the statement made by Raymond Moore -CEO of Indian Wells- calling women tennis players ``lucky” for they “ride on the coattails of men.” Another moment in pop culture was when paparazzi attempted to take a picture of Emma Watson under her dress after she had just turned 18. These examples were just a fraction of the many misogynistic remarks and actions throughout history and the present. Many people who might make these derogatory remarks argue against being misogynist because they “don’t hate women'' however, as the Oxford dictionary states, misogyny is “prejudice against women.” This definition shows how “‘prejudice’ rather than ‘hatred’ — now carries more force with those who are familiar with the word,” says William Safire, The New York Times columnist. This implies that it doesn’t matter where the derogatory statement or action is coming from, but the effect of what it did to society in the present and future.

You might be wondering, if neither female supremacy or misogyny fall close to feminism’s dictionary definition, what does? Equality is when people believe both males and females as equals, no one overpowers the other, instead the only goal is to help both genders level in power. By advocating for equal rights, this concept is the most similar to the dictionary definition of feminism. With a sense of balance and acceptance, two attributes longed for in most aspects of the world, equality is believed to be an unproblematic way to solve a problem. For example, a study with McKinsey Global Institute showed how tackling the global gender gap can add 12 trillion USD to the global GDP. Another set of studies over diversity from McKinsey ranging from the years 2015-2020 showed “more than 1,000 large companies in 15 countries and found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity were 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile.” Organizations such as Act for Equal by UN Women and Unicef also support the theory that equality could signal a growth in our world. With this problem solving mindset and strong connection to feminism, equality can be considered a synonym to feminism. As Watson said, “it is time we all perceive gender on a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals.”

However, the truth remains that there is no solid answer, just a matter of the amount of moral righteousness in a person to lead themselves to their own definition of feminism. However, Watson reminds us that “if you still hate the word, it’s not the word that is important, it is the idea and ambition behind it.” We all have a voice and it is time we use it to project our opinions and act for change, no matter what it is, because if we don’t, who does?

Works Cited

Aron, Nina Renata. “What Does Misogyny Look Like?” The New York Times, 8 Mar. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/style/misogyny-women-history-photographs.html.

“Emma Watson at the HeForShe Campaign 2014 - Official UN Video.” Www.youtube.com, 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkjW9PZBRfk&list=LL&index=18&t=67s. Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.

Generation Equality Forum. “Act for Equal.” Generation Equality Forum, forum.generationequality.org/actforequal.

Krishnan, Mekela, et al. “Ten Things to Know about Gender Equality.” McKinsey & Company, 21 Sept. 2020, www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/ten-things-to-know-about-gender-equality.

UN Women. “UN Women - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.” UN Women, 2019, www.unwomen.org/en. UNICEF. “Gender Equality Overview - UNICEF DATA.” UNICEF DATA, 2018, data.unicef.org/topic/gender/overview/.

Young, Cathy. “Feminists Treat Men Badly. It’s Bad for Feminism.” The Washington Post, 30 June 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/06/30/feminists-treat-men-badly-its-bad-for-feminism/.

---. “Stop Fem-Splaining: What ‘Women against Feminism’ Gets Right.” Time, Time, 24 July 2014, time.com/3028827/women-against-feminism-gets-it-right/.