As I scrolled through the topics to choose from for this blog, I didn’t know how I could pick between the different topics. I am super interested in politics, so I was immediately drawn to the politics option, but I also have very strong opinions on feminism, gender, and equality. I ultimately decided to pick the gender and sexuality option because I feel like I have more personal experience as a woman that I could use in my blog. To begin my blog posts, I believe that it’s important to discuss what feminism actually is. Many people have different conceptions of what feminism is, and I had some conversations with people on my floor about what feminism is from our different perspectives. Although some people may not agree with me, I am going to spend this blog post discussing my personal view of what feminism is, and what it is not, and I would like to discuss the different effects that this can have on women and men in society when people do not know what feminism truly is.

According to Kathy Caprino from Forbes, definitions of feminism include the following statements:

1. The advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes
   
   2. The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
   
   3. The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities
   
   4. The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.

In each of these statements, one common theme is equality. Women have been striving for so long to achieve equality, and despite some opinions, we have not yet achieved this. Evidence can be seen in the workplace, where women make significantly less than men, and where women are often harassed by their male coworkers, as seen with recent allegations from many different fields. Evidence of inequality can also be seen in politics, with only about 20% of American legislators being female, and because the United States has never had a female president, even though women have had the right to vote for almost 100 years. Feminism is just trying to give all sexes equality in all areas of life, which can benefit men as well.

However, although these definitions clearly show that feminism’s core purpose is equality, I have consistently seen that people do not know this. A few months ago, I was doing homework in a study lounge while a group of guys were discussing “crazy, purple-haired feminists” who, in their opinion, hate men and want to take away men’s rights. I immediately interjected and tried to explain that feminism is not the removal of men’s rights, but the equality of all the sexes in all areas of life. As our debate went on, they eventually brushed it off and changed the topic, but this moment has stuck with me. Feminism is not aimed at hurting men in any way, shape, or form. Although its name makes it seem as though it is only advocating for women, as stated in an article from Women Against Feminism, feminism works for both men and women. Feminists work to demonstrate that both men and women can break away from gender stereotypes, giving men more opportunities to express themselves than before. In the Forbes article, Caprino makes another interesting point, contrasting the point made by some people that women can never be equal to men because women are inherently weaker than men. Caprino states that if two boys were in school but one was weaker than the other, they would still have equal opportunities for success in the world, which is the mentality that people should have about women and equality. Additionally, contrary to some beliefs, rights are not like slices of pie. If women gain more rights, men do not lose rights, and in the end everyone will just end up with equal opportunities.

If the misconception of feminism continues, its effects will continue to be seen in the workplace and society. In an article from Forbes, women who are perceived as forceful are seen as 35% less competent, and their worth drops by $15,088. In contrast, men who are seen as forceful are perceived as 22% less competent and their worth drops by $6,547. If feminists continue to be seen as forceful and crazy, they will be perceived different in the workplace when really, feminists are just striving for equality between the genders. To conclude, what feminism is and what feminism is not needs to be at the forefront of feminist movements if we want feminism to be perceived differently and advance in society. I wanted to start out my blog with this topic because it is essential to know what feminism is before diving further into the topic.