Why Men Should Be Feminists
Updated: Dec 19, 2021
By Jay Norton
“feminism is for everybody”
-bell hooks
This post is dedicated to influential author, feminist, critic, activist, and scholar: bell hooks.
May she rest in power.
Patriarchal mass media has portrayed feminism as anti-male since the birth of the movement. Unfortunately, that is where most people learn about feminism. In the mass media feminism is portrayed as an anti-male movement led by white and privileged women, whose sole goal is gender equality. As far as many people are concerned, many of these men-hating women are fighting to have abortions, to be open about their sexuality, and to challenge rape and domestic violence. However, feminism is so much more than this misconception. It is a fact that anti-male sentiment was present amongst the early feminists of the movement. They were angry towards men because they were experiencing consciousness-raising while working in social movements that were dedicated to anti-classism and anti-racism yet allowed sexism to be perpetuated in their own ranks. Men were always perceived as the leaders, leaving women with no choice but to follow or be left behind. Feminism has progressed beyond allowing anti-male sentiment to shape the movement because women quickly realized that anyone, regardless of gender, can be sexist. Thus, revealing the true enemy of gender justice - sexism, sexist thinking, and sexist action- not men, but patriarchy and male domination.
Women alone cannot tear down a system that society built and constantly reinforced. Dr. Matthew Ezzell, Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies professor at James Madison University, put it best in a quote from his interview with ShoutOut!: “Feminism is a movement that was created by women, but it is not just a movement of women. Men and women are both part of patriarchy, and therefore they must both be part of the destruction of it (Feminist Perspectives: Dr. Matthew Ezzell, 2015)”. The patriarchy affects everyone including men. Bell Hooks touches on this point, “Patriarchal masculinity teaches men that our sense of self and identify, our reason for being, resides in our capacity to dominate others” (Hooks, 2014). She also states, “Encourages us to be pathologically narcissistic, infantile, and psychologically dependent upon our male privilege” (Hooks, 2014). Young and older men deserve healthy self-esteem and love to continue to live in a patriarchal society. The feminist movement will not progress without men becoming allies. You have already taken your first step in allyship by reading this post and recognizing that we as men have just as much to gain from feminism as women. In the words of bell hooks, “To be feminist in any authentic sense of the term is to want all people, male and female, liberation from sexist role patterns, domination, and oppression.”
Actionable Steps to Become a Feminist Ally:
References
Feminist Perspectives: Dr. Matthew Ezzell. (2015, April 19). ShoutOut! James Madison University. https://shoutoutjmu.com/2015/04/19/feminist-perspectives-dr-matthew-ezzell/
Hooks, B. (2014). Feminism is for Everybody : Passionate Politics. Routledge.