Men in Feminism Are Not Simps!

About a month or so ago, I saw this video of Andy Murray from a 2017 interview. He corrects an interviewer who used language that excluded and overruled the achievement of female tennis players. Of course, that was not the first time misogyny sprung up in sports, whether conscious or not, but as little as Andy Murray’s action may look, the video brought me so much comfort that a man stopped the conversation to ensure that records are straight.

When someone mentions feminism, people tend to associate the term with a bunch of angry women crying to the world that they are better than men, or at the very least, a bunch of women who hate men. However, feminism has never been about men in particular. It has always been about equality, disrupting the function of the patriarchy, and uplifting men, women, and all sexes/genders. Unfortunately, people tend to confuse feminism with sexism, but people should know that the two terms cannot coexist if one of them is being true. A sexist cannot be a feminist as much as a feminist cannot be a sexist unless, of course, one twists the purposes of feminism to power their sexist motive.

via verve.medium.com/

So what is feminism? Simply put, feminism is a group of social movements, political movements, and ideologies that strive to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes (the free encyclopedia). While women are the faces associated with feminism, a member of any gender identity can identify as a feminist. Even so, people (men in most cases)tend to make fun of cis-hetero men who identify as feminists, calling them simps, soft, and several other names of mockery. The reason people deem feminists men as low, unmasculine, and weak is quite unclear, but its connection to the phobia of challenging power is undeniable. As already pointed out, feminism has never been directly about men — it has been about the patriarchy that has uplifted, favored, and empowered men at the expense of equality for all sexes. Any man can play a part in ensuring the continuous function of the patriarchy, be it conscious or not. Whether it is admissible or not, all men benefit from the patriarchal system.

A lot of men find admitting that the patriarchy favors men a sign of weakness, so they try to refute every point feminist makes with sayings like “but I worked hard for what I have,” “but men are assaulted too,” “but the system also hurts men.” No feminist denies the reality that men can be assaulted, maltreated, or harassed by the system, but what these men who cry about feminism do not consider is that if they are harassed, maltreated, or manhandled by the system, their experiences are usually direct or an indirect result of sexism toward women. Therefore, it is not pragmatic to use “but I am also…” to refute the purposes of feminism. Regardless of gender identity, everyone could benefit from feminism because contrary to what most feminist anties believe, feminism is a movement that aims to protect women, men, and all genders and sexes.

via https://www.huffpost.com/

Another male feminist icon I admire is the Former President of the United States, Barack Obama. From addressing people on the importance of feminism to setting himself a role model for male feminists, Ex-president Barrack Obama has debunked the stereotypes of who a feminist must be and what a feminist looks like. After posting the Andy Muray video on my WhatsApp story, some of my friends replied, saying that his action in the video is nothing to be happy about because it is just a political agenda to speak what people want to hear. I do not blame them for thinking that a man could by himself evaluate how important the feminist movement is to the point where he makes it a habit to defend women and advocate for equal rights in even the smallest ways possible. Our society has conditioned men to see themselves as the opponents of women and other genders/sexes, so they feel threatened and betrayed when they see one of them standing for the opposite. But that is where the enforcement of the movement’s goals comes in. Feminist men, like every other feminist, have never said women are superior to men. Still, the men so comfortable with the power the patriarchy awards them find it a little too much to imagine a world in which everyone has equal access to opportunities and power regardless of their gender or sex.

Participating in feminism and identifying as feminist does not strip men of their masculinity. Neither does it make them simps. Truth be told, feminist men are essential to project the world forward. Through their engagement in feminism, they learn that the movement is not after them but a greater enemy that we as a society must tear down together. According toSandy Ruxton, we need feminist men to challenge other men (and people) over their sexism, misogyny, violence and raise awareness to support victims.

via https://www.cidse.org/

Quoting Professor Txetxu Ausín, “feminism is an emancipatory theory of the human being, of women and men, which recognizes our fragility and interdependence and the enormous network of relationships and care that social reproduction allows. It is the invisible work of care that sustains social life. This type of activity is essential for society because there would be neither social organization, economy, culture, nor politics.” We need men in feminism because feminism is not a thing for women but the entire world! There is no denying that the feminist movement is not a perfect one, but that should be another reason we need all genders/sexes on deck to ensure accountability, intersectionality, and trust.

Before you call feminist men simps for simply advocating for equal rights and contributing to the destabilization of the patriarchy, rethink the reasons you see things that way. Do you think men can’t or shouldn't be feminists because you are afraid equality means you won’t get to be superior anymore, or do you think feminism should only be a women’s affair? Do you not want men in feminism because your stereotypical views of what a man should be like don't align with what feminist men stand for, or the distribution of power threatens you? Do you call feminist men simps because women love men who value accountability, equality, and advocacy, or do you call them simps for doing what IS RIGHT? Making fun of feminist men doesn't make you appear more masculine, advanced, or perfect. It just means you are intimidated by the mere possibility that there will be a time where women (and everyone for that matter) would not have to subdue themselves to be treated as rightful members of society!

via https://www.berry.edu/

Feminism will be around as long as the patriarchy keeps functioning, so a toast to all feminists out there, but most importantly to the feminist men (here are some of the popular ones)who ignore the toxic masculine standards society puts up and take it upon themselves to be better, to do better, and want the best for everyone!

Works cited:

1. Txetxu AusínUCCProfessor Txetxu Ausín is a member of the Institute of Philosophy, S. (2019, June 18). Txetxu ausín. Retrieved July 19, 2021, from https://www.rte.ie/author/1055988-txetxu-ausin/

2. What is the role of men in feminism? (2020, March 09). Retrieved July 19, 2021, from https://www.cidse.org/2020/03/04/what-is-the-role-of-men-in-feminism/

3. Vagianos, A. (2016, June 14). President Obama: ‘this is what a Feminist looks like. Retrieved July 19, 2021, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/president-obama-this-is-what-a-feminist-looks-like_n_57605770e4b053d433068d9e