The Word “Feminist” Should Not Be Scary to Men

By Jaydon Sun ‘29

For a select group of individuals, to hear the word “feminist” is to imagine the shrill voice of an angry woman scolding innocent men. Localized in anti-feminist and incel forums, these descriptors are repeated ad nauseam towards the greater digital population. This anti-feminist attitude has already entrenched itself in younger men: only 43% of Gen Z men describe themselves as “feminist,” compared to 61% of Gen Z women. This visible discrepancy has, in part, caused a resurgence of toxic masculinity and misogyny, which ultimately threatens women’s basic safety and determination. Thus, it is imperative that men embrace feminism as a phrase inspiring empathy rather than one that strikes fear and welcomes discussions espousing women’s empowerment.

My own experience with feminism developed only a few years prior; my stance on absolute gender equality was instead taught to me in primary school. Even though feminism is simply the striving towards equality between all genders, men are often ostracised for presenting these ideals as performative and idealistic. The false belief that feminism remains exclusively a women’s movement further reinforces this misconception, a mistake that I made in my article on performativity last year. Male feminists, it seems, have been relegated to a fringe movement of ‘wokeism’ and ultra-progressiveness.

However, multiple notable men have championed feminist ideas. Marquis de Condorcet, James Mott, and Thetus W. Sims, among others, all defended women’s suffrage, equality, and self-determination. In fact, according to Carnedeas.org, up to 89% of men residing in the United States actually support ideas considered the nexus of feminism: they believe in equal rights for all genders, that men once held privilege over women, and legislative equality. Yet, when 32% of these men, mostly Gen Z and largely religious, are polled on feminism, their opinion is perceived as anti-feminist.

One cause of this turnabout lies most distinctly within the manosphere: a network of online social media communities that adhere to masculinity, anti-feminism, and misogyny. Some men participating in such online spaces promote gynocentrism and other false narratives that radicalize users towards hatred and bigotry. Internet slang culture has normalized sizable aspects of manosphere culture as a by-product of information acceleration. Commonly used slang expressions found even in progressive circles, like “chad,” “mog,” etc. were coined or reappropriated by misogynist spaces, then sanitized for normalization within the greater internet. Toxic masculinity, defined as traditional masculine norms that emphasize dominance, self-reliance, and aggression, has become ingrained in many young men, corroborating their abrupt shift away from feminism.

Feminism, at its core, represents achieving equality for women against a patriarchal system, rather than the disenfranchisement of men. Their methodology may differ, but all feminist movements stand united in guaranteeing gender equality as their principal goal. While detractors may contend that opposing inequality is a dog-whistle for misandry, this is simply false: the pursuit of women’s equality does not inherently necessitate the subjugation or exclusion of men. Rather, feminism seeks to challenge the social and political structures that perpetuate gender-based inequality and to establish a society in which individuals are afforded equal rights, opportunities, and dignity regardless of gender.

Feminism being censured by manosphere rhetoric for its genuine ideas is an untenable position; the ideology is instead being attacked for harmful stereotypes. Criticism of feminism never genuinely addresses its core ideas, because doing so would reveal the misogynist bigotry that the anti-feminist movement is. According to Frontiers, research has demonstrated that young men are more likely to hold sexist views when they believe men and women are competing for limited societal resources. By contrast, feminist groups generally advocate for the reduction of gender-based inequalities rather than the antagonization of men. Gender equality and, thus, feminism is not and has never been a women’s issue. Instead, it functions as a fundamental component of social development. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, societies with equal rights and opportunities tend to experience greater economic prosperity and social rights fulfillment. Consequently, framing feminism as hostility towards men reduces a diverse intellectual and political tradition to a narrow characterization, fabricated to funnel antifeminist ideology.

For men sympathetic towards the feminist cause, I urge you to make way for women’s empowerment by ceding space for institutionally marginalized groups and to acknowledge your own role within the continuation of misogyny. I, more so, encourage you to speak loudly: utilize your privilege granted by the patriarchy to champion women’s rights—never in place of women, but in support of them.

Most of all, I implore all men to shed the stigma of feminism as a cause alien to them; only with understanding and empathy can we act not as encumbrances to equality but as the impetus for just social change.