By Grant Spicer
Staff Writer
@GrantMSpicer

Feminism is such a complex and seemingly diverse subject when you look at it today, and one of the most controversial issues with discussing feminism and what it truly is, is how it applies to men.

Better yet, the question I have been tasked with answering is: how does it affect men? Feminism does in fact affect the entire male population regardless of what is going on at Coppell High School, in Coppell, in Texas, or anywhere for that matter.

Feminism has many definitions depending on what source you go to. For Advanced Placement United States History teacher Diane de Waal, she defines Feminism in today’s context as “The right and the charge of women to be gender non-specific. Not to be compared with men on a gender sort of bar, but on a neutral bar.”

A Feminist, as defined by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “is a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes (and various gender identities).” Something that caught my interest when talking to De Waal is she remarked how she “wouldn’t use the many definitions of Feminism in terms of a historical context such as the 1970s or the 1920s.”

Now what this means is that although Feminism is rooted with the same basic principles it has always had (gender equality for all), the way people go about achieving that principle has changed with society. In the 1920s, the subject focused on votes for women. In the 1970s, it focused on radical sexual liberation. What de Waal was trying to point out is that now people are, yet again, looking at Feminism in a new light.

Although the word is based off of the prefix “femi-“, the contemporary social movement actually seeks out to improve social standards for all genders. Yes, even males. Men typically are raised to believe that they should not cry, or like things that are “feminine”; yet Feminism allows boys to express themselves in a way that socially constructed masculinity leaves no room for.

This is extremely important to any individual because not only does it bring women and men to a standard of respect towards one another, but it also creates an environment where one can feel comfortable about being who they are and doing what they love without fear of ridicule. The phrase “boys will be boys” can be harmful. Let us show them that they can be a part of a group empowering all people to fight for gender equality.

There is a large student body disagreeing with these ideas; male and female. When a student walks the halls claiming to be a Feminist, they will often get questions from other students, and the most common one that never seems to go away is “Oh, so you hate men?”

Feminists are constantly hit with this question because of the harmful stereotype that Feminists hate males, but that is actually not the case. It is just that not everything is about men. Feminism is not about men. It is about gender equality with men, women and anyone in between.

Let us get something straight: Feminism does not mean that you hate men. If you think it does then you are not a Feminist. If you hate men, then that makes you a Misandrist. Misandry is the exact opposite of sexism.

When speaking to De Waal, we discussed how women are portrayed through media, whether in ads, television or even movies. The producers at the end of the day are not concerned about Feminism. If a women is being heavily sexualized, they deem that it is body positivity, or when a boy is abusing her, they say that it is his way of showing love.

De Waal thinks future generations can overcome this by figuring out how to “create a culture based on mutual respect, on tolerance, on acceptance, and on honesty, and not on exploitation.” When media producers make claims on sexualizing women and saying that boys like this, that is not Feminism.

So do not be afraid of Feminism. Of course every group has radical people who can distort the main message of any idea, but that should not get in the way of what that main message is. Feminism seeks to give all genders a voice and to find respect for every person you meet. Feminism affects boys just as much as it affects girls.