Sidnee Baker

UWRT 1101-001

The Myths and Truths of Feminism and Their Effects on Society

For decades, feminism has been an important part of history in the United States. Women
from all different walks of life have been fighting for equality for multiple reasons. There are
many different types of feminism. A few of these include liberal, which were seen more often
during the American Revolution. A lot of them were suffragettes fighting for the right to vote.
Others were referred to as radicals. Some radical feminists were part of the suffragettes. They
were mainly found during the Civil War. Their main focus was the oppression of the patriarchic
system, which suppresses women. As radical feminism died out, cultural feminism became the
next popular movement (Kinds). A lot of people considered these two groups to be the same. The
one difference is cultural feminists believed in the advancement of womens culture. Because of
all of the different types of feminism that exist, it isnt a surprise that there are plenty of
misconceptions. Many people believe that feminists hate men. Feminists are looked at as manly.
People think that they must be in support of abortion because of the its my body, it should be
my choice argument. Feminists continue to get patronized about disliking being mothers and
wives, and that they are angry and full of hate. These myths often times hinder the movement.
Though many feminists often times may try to eliminate these false beliefs, those beliefs are still
very much a part of society. These falsehoods need to be debunked in order for this movement to
serve its true purpose, which is to provide equal rights and opportunities for all.
Feminism and hatred towards men are often times thought to go hand in hand. There is
always that mislead speculation that feminists are just a group of women upset at men for their
ways of thinking and being in society. While in most cases, this myth is completely false, there
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UWRT 1101-001
are a few cases where women did show hatred towards men and supported practices that went
against the male population. Those extremist feminists are referred to as misandrists (Argane).
When feminism first became popular, women had aggressive ways of going about getting their
point across. This is because the topic was so unheard of and so far-fetched, that many men tried
to silence them and call them insane for having such ludicrous ideas, such as women having the
right to vote. This, of course, only fueled the need for equality in these radical feminists. Men
did, and in some places, still do look down upon women. Would that not outrage you in the
slightest if you were the one being judged and slandered for feeling that voting should be a right
available to everyone?
The truth is feminists aim to liberate both sexes by breaking down societal standards that
affect them both (Argane). Feminists over the years decided not to look at it as men-verseswomen. Instead, they prefer to see the qualities in men and women as different, but equal. They
want people to see this movement as something that everyone can relate to, seeing that everyone,
at some point or another, has felt that what they had to offer was not good enough for the task.
At some point in time, everyone has felt like their voice wasnt being heard or that it didnt
matter. Because every human being has felt this way, feminists continue to preach that feminism
is indeed for everyone.
Feminists are often categorized as females that do not enjoy motherhood or marriage. As
insane as this myth sounds, it does, in fact, exist and some non-feminists actually do believe this.
The feminist organization is made up of mothers, wives, and single women alike. In some cases,
one of the biggest reasons some women choose to become feminists were because of their
passion for their families. As mothers, they believe it is important for their children to grow up
knowing that both genders are equally important and they choose to teach them the lessons and
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UWRT 1101-001
morals that correlate with that belief. They want their children to believe that they can be
vulnerable or strong, timid or outgoing, whenever they so choose and they wont have to feel like
less of a man or one of the boys because of it. Feminists believe that marriage should be an
option to everyone that wishes to do so. They believe that the patriarchal system hinders that
from happening, not the act of marriage itself (Maxwell). Wives want to remind their husbands
of the fact that their roles in the household are just as important as his are. In fact, there are
feminists that chose to be stay-at-home mothers. This doesnt make their beliefs a clich. Though
one could argue that being a stay-at-home mom and a feminist is hypocritical, most feminists
would say that the right to choose what one should do with his or her life is what makes it not
only acceptable, but commended and appreciated. The right to choose is what empowers this
movement. Simply put, feminists want the agency and freedom to decide when and under what
circumstances they reproduce (Maxwell).
A very popular myth today is that feminists are pro-abortion because they believe that a
woman has the right to do with her body what she wants. This myth repels many people from
becoming feminists. Groups such as Christians, republicans, and pro-life supporters in general
have all turned their noses up at feminists because of this false belief. To be clear, feminists
believe that every woman should have the option and ability to safely abort if she feels that it is
the best choice for her safety, the safety of the fetus, and the best decision to preserve emotional
and economic stability (Abortion). The right to have children, the right to not have children,
the right to parent the children you do have in a safe and nurturing environment, and the right to
determine under what circumstances you start a family are crucial components to full social,
economic and political equality (Maxwell). While some may interpret that as supporting
abortion, feminists believe in having the ability and right to do with ones body as they see fit. In
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a civilized society, we owe women the legal right to make their decision safely (Abortion).
Frankly, abortions will continue to happen for various different reasons. Those reasons are
nobodys responsibility but the womans. However, it is our responsibility as a society to make
sure that these women have access to the best medical care possible.
Probably one of the most common myths of all is that feminists are angry or hysterical. In
the past, it is safe to say that the frustration associated with the ignorance of society could have
quite possibly made many of these women a little aggravated. The association between rage and
feminism is a misconstrued opinion. However, many would agree that feminists do, in fact, have
a right to be angry with society. The discrimination, lack of respect, and sexism shown toward
women throughout history is not something that would make any woman feel positive. Feminist
activist Jessica Valenti stated in a speech given in Texas We (women) have a right to be angry
That anger, that sadness can help us do what we need to do But we dont do this work because
of anger; we do it because of love. We do it because of compassion (Planned Parenthood). Most
feminists find that the fact that they still have to protest for things, such as access to birth control,
quite absurd and, ultimately, frustrating. However, when a woman speaks out about these
ridiculous concepts, she is met with different comments and names such as hysterical or
hormonal. This only strengthens the patriarchal idea that a woman cannot raise her voice
because she isnt acting like a lady (Argane). Because of this, often times the real issue
becomes overlooked. Once feminists are no longer looked at as raging, out-of-control lunatics,
maybe then their arguments and ideas will be taken seriously and looked at as something that
makes sense and benefits society. Until then, their voices will not reach all of the ears that need
to hear it and they will continue to miss the mark in the fight for equality.

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Sidnee Baker
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One of the most comical myths of them all has to be that feminists are manly or dislike
feminine things. In the 1960s, more women came together in support of feminist issues. They
wrote books, formed new organizations, and joined in more protests. This is referred to as the
second wave of feminism (Labbato). During one protest in particular, women gathered together
to sit outside of the Miss America Beauty Pageant to stand up against the sexual objectification it
placed on women. In order to make a statement, they threw anything that they found objectifying
to them in a fire pit. This included haircare products, make-up, nail polish, even bras. The point
was to show that women should not be judged based on their looks. That moment (which was
captured by the media there to cover the pageant and seen by thousands, if not millions of
Americans across the country) really is what is believed to have birthed this myth. It was also
around this time where a lot of lesbians decided to speak out about their sexual preferences.
There were groups formed in support of lesbian feminists along with books and speeches alike.
What most people fail to realize, however, is that, just like everything else in the world, no two
feminists are alike. Yes of course, there are feminists out there who choose not to wear make-up
and dress up in high heels. There are also feminists out there who wear make-up daily and love
to go get their nails and hair done. This does not define or determine the purposes of the
movement. The feminist movement opposes the perpetuation of the idea that women must
conform to the distorted concept of femininity that is considered socially acceptable. But they
dont oppose a womans choice to act or look however she wants (Argane).
Feminism is a movement that is made up of many different types of people. They believe
in different things and support different concepts. What they all have in common, however, is the
belief that equality is for everyone. They believe that equality is a basic human right and should
not be alienated from a person simply based on their gender. Myths such as feminists hating men
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may keep males from reaching out to the group, even if they are fighting for these same rights.
Religious groups may reject even listening to a speech given by a feminist because they were
told all feminists support abortion. Mothers may turn a cold shoulder to feminists because they
dont think they would fit in with feminist and what they believe in. Protests about womans
rights could get shut down because of the supposed history of violence and anger shown in other
feminists protest rallies. A young girl might try to cover up her passion for football in fear of
being picked on in school for acting like a boy. These are all real world examples of the myths
that are hurting our society today. These and many more are the reasons why these myths need to
be exposed, corrected, and then erased completely from the memories of the ones that once
believed in them. They are tearing this movement apart. At this point in time, feminism should be
something that is celebrated and practiced, not mocked and manipulated. As a society built off
the idea of freedom for all, it is time to stand up for equal rights and give it the consideration it
deserves. We will never find our peace, better yet, our sanity until this happens.

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Sidnee Baker
UWRT 1101-001
Works Cited
Abortion. Feminist Majority Foundation. 2014. Web. March 24, 2015
<http://www.feminist.org/rrights/>
Argane, Hiba. 8 Myths About Feminism Debunked. Lifehack. N.d. Web. March 24, 2015
<http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication>
Kinds of Feminism. N.p. n.d. Web. March 24, 2015
<http://www.uah.edu/woof/feminism_kinds.htm>
Labbato, Maria. Second Wave Feminism PPT. n.c. CHHS Building. Charlotte, NC. March 12,
2015. Lecture.
Maxwell, Zerlina. 10 Worst Myths About Feminism, Debunked. IdentitiesMic. August 21,
2014. Web. March 24, 2015. <http://mic.com/articles/96292>
Valenti, Jessica. 40th Anniversary Roe v. Wade Luncheon. Video Presentation. Planned
Parenthood Gulf Coast. YouTube, January 29, 2013. Web. March 24, 2015.

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