Feminism

The moment this word leaves someones lips, there’s collective gasp from some men, and often, as much as it pains me to say, even women.

This word composed of eight measly letters has become so stigmatised in society that anyone who declares themselves as a feminist is almost instantly classified as anti-men.

So what does the word Feminism really mean?

feminism

ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/

noun

noun: feminism

    1.     the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.

Equality of the sexes.

EQUALITY.

Something this world is severely lacking in from the rich and poor, to black people and white people, religion and race, same sex marriage to opposite sex marriage and even, gender.

Did you know that on average women get paid 18% less than men do for the exact same job, exact same hours and most people don’t even seem to bat an eye? However, had this been the other way around there would have been a colossal outrage at the fact that a woman was being paid more than a man.

Oh, the atrocity.

Even jobs that are primarily classified as ‘feminine’, such as teaching or nursing, have males receiving a higher income than females. And most of the time nothing is done, nothing is said, not a word is spoken.

However, the moment someone tries to aim for a change in this patriarchal hierarchy that we’re living in, there’s a tremendous amount of backlash because ‘women are trying to get rid of men.’

Seriously. What the hell.

It is completely alright for a man to go around sleeping with as many woman as he likes, but when a woman does it, she’s a whore.

If a girl is raped, she was asking for it because she was a temptress, wearing that dress showing off her body—it didn't matter that the weather was blistering hot and that while any male was able to freely walk around without a shirt on, woman have to cover up because it’s unacceptable for her body to be on display. It didn't matter that the young girl was 15 and underage, while the man well into adulthood.

It didn't matter because she was asking for it.

It was her fault.

She shouldn't have lured him in.

She should be grateful that he risked jail time by fucking her.

That last one is a tweet that I’ve seen so many times that it has left me in a permanent state of disbelief. I’ve seen so many people say that, and RT that and what stunned me the most was that a large percentage of them were women.  

What is it that people dont understand about feminism? How difficult is it for someone to understand that feminism is not a way for woman to take over the world, it is a means to advocate for equality of the sexes, to prevent some of the horrendous acts that have been going on lately.

And, if you’re not going to advocate feminism for yourself, do it for the young teenage girl who missed out on going to college, and growing up and raising a family because she was murdered for turning down a boy who asked her to prom. Do it for all the innocent lives lost when a maniac — whose name will not be mentioned because he does not deserve the acknowledgement — posted that video on youtube declaring that he was going on a killing spree because he was a 22 year old virgin and girls kept rejecting him despite his nice car and ‘nice-guy attitude’. Do it for yourself and your family, for your mother and sister and daughter. Do it for anyone and everyone because god knows the lack of equality in this world is damning.

Everyone has faced inequality at some point, even men. And the fact that the inequality men face is overlocked, is inequality in itself.

It’s an infestation that’s scattered all over the world and rather than whining and crying about the outbreak of ebola (that isn't really an outbreak anywhere other than Africa) white male supremacists can focus on the infestation of gender inequality, instead. 

Ayshe .xx