Why Are People So Afraid to be Feminists?

To quote the Oxford Dictionary, Feminism is 'the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.' This, therefore, traditionally implies that the Feminist movement, at its core, is advocating for equality; and whilst I still believe this notion is still widely prevalent, I must say, it's quite interesting to see how many people strongly agree that feminism is no longer about equality, however, more so inequality of the sexes(?).

I think as a whole, people would firmly say that they support equal rights, equal pay and freedom for women to do as they please. Yet, when asked if they are feminists, many tend to step back and question their answers much more, due to the social connotations feminism has developed over time. 

The emergence of social media and our activist generation has allowed the creation of many 'types' of feminists, and to list them all would probably make my hand cramp, so maybe give it a Google if you're interested. Therefore, with this, different groups lead to different ideologies. 

Some Feminist believe that women are experiencing a social change, and equality is happening whilst some Feminists would argue that we are nowhere near the 'utopia' that is an equal world, and the only way in which we can achieve this is by avoiding men, in ALL aspects of life. There is, of course, in between, in which some groups prioritize different races, religions and sexualities, but what Feminism is most known for is 'The Radicals.' This group, often being referred to as the 'loud minority' are usually what people associate with Feminists in the 21st Century. It is the inaccurate representation of an activist group due to a minority, in which more often than not, are inaccurately represented in the media themselves.

The belief that being a Feminist is alongside men-hating and believing that women are more deserving of different aspects of life than men, is not something the movement was made for. It was made for young women to grow up and have full hope that they can have any job in the world, to then not be discriminated against because of their gender, or paid unequally because their a girl or experience sexual assault within the said workplace, just because they're a woman. It's the ability to feel safe alone in an environment, most people should feel safe in. 

So to conclude, people are afraid of being called a feminist because of association. Like all groups in society, the presence of a loud minority exists and with that, many people don't want to be associated with the 'radical' connotations in which some hold. Labelling and identification are huge in our culture today, and as someone who isn't really fussed with what labels I fit under, I firmly believe that holding ideology which supports the Feminist movement as a whole, is something I personally have, and will always advocate for in many years to come. 

I just wanted to include a little clip I found on YouTube which I thought was super interesting, about this topic, if anyone cares to explore these ideas further - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0A_zmKaoNs