Male Feminists Exist And We Wish More Of Them Would Speak Up

Quick poll for the men of the world – do you consider yourself a feminist?

If the term seems like a contentious one, we can break it down into a very simple test:

Do you think women and men should be treated socially, financially and politically equal?

If the answer is yes – congratulations! You are a feminist.*

Throughout its many waves and incarnations, feminism has picked up some of the worst PR since Susan Boyle’s album launch hashtag - #susananalbumparty #neverforget.

We’re now at a stage where high profile women like Kelly Clarkson, Shailene Woodley and Katy Perry cower at the mention of the word and refuse to align themselves with it.

When independent women like Katy and Kelly are afraid to call themselves feminists, we know we’ve got a problem.

Enter: male feminists.

For some of the less enlightened members of the population, the term male feminist might seem like an oxymoron – we’re looking at you Pharrell – that men cannot be feminists.

Following the release of the unbelievably shady ‘Blurred Lines’ last year, the 40-year-old music mogul was rightly asked if he was a, dun dun DUN, feminist.

“I’ve been asked, am I a feminist? I don’t think it’s possible for me to be that…I’m a man.”
 
Thankfully, for every narrow-minded ignoramus like Pharrell there is a forward-thinking, astute Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The ‘Inception’ star was totally baffled to hear that certain young people were shying away from the label.

“What [feminism] means to me is that you don’t let your gender define who you are—you can be who you want to be, whether you’re a man, a woman, a boy, a girl, whatever.

“So yes, I’d absolutely call myself a feminist.

“There’s a long, long history of women suffering abuse, injustice, and not having the same opportunities as men, and I think that’s been very detrimental to the human race as a whole.”

And JGL isn’t the only high profile gent who is smart enough to realize that equality for women is good news for everyone.

Singer John Legend didn’t miss a beat when asked for his stance on feminism at the Chime for Change concert last year:

“All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights that world will be a better place…We are all better off when women are empowered – it leads to a better society.”

Ryan Gosling has made no secret that he is attracted to projects that feature strong female characters, having been raised by a single mother.

Living legend Sir Patrick Stewart is a powerful voice in the fight against domestic violence against women, drawing inspiration from his own childhood to highlight the ways we still have to go to help vulnerable women.

Prince Harry has spoken out about the key role that men should play in creating equality and respect for women around the world."This is not just about women, we men need to recognise the part we play too.

“Real men treat women with dignity and give them the respect they deserve.”   

And male feminists come in all forms, not just privileged middle-class (mainly) white guys.

The late rapper Tupac Shakur penned the impassioned ‘Keep Ya Head Up’ back in 1993:

I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up

It’s sad that we have to spell this out, but feminism is not about hating men, working against them or burning bras.

Feminism is about equality so why wouldn’t we want men standing by us shoulder to shoulder to fight for the most basic rights like equal pay and the right to have agency over our own bodies?

Yahoo senior editor and proud feminist Matt Thomas summed up the role that men can and should play in the fight for equality:

“Male feminism isn’t about muscling in and taking over the fight. It’s about standing side by side with women and demanding change.”

Hear hear!

*If the answer is no and the thought of a world where men and women are equal fills you with dread, maybe stop and have a think about your life because you've gone wrong somewhere.

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