Women Against Feminism

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Women Against Feminism is an informal movement of women sharing equal ideals with antifeminists in rejecting feminism. Using #WomenAgainstFeminism, [1] the hashtag is normally accompanied by a "selfie" style photo, holding up handwritten posters stating reasons why they disapprove of modern feminism. Most of the posts begin with the statement, "I don't need feminism because", followed by their reason(s). [2]

Contents

The supporters of this movement primarily use social media platforms such Twitter and Tumblr, while campaigning on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to advocate their views.

Origin and content

The Women Against Feminism [3] [4] campaign began on Tumblr in July 2013, presumably in response to the "Who Needs Feminism" campaign. [5] [6] According to the BBC, the movement is an online community that use social media to brand 'Feminism' as a 'toxic' movement. Following on the original creator of the Women Against Feminism Tumblr page is an American woman who has chosen to remain anonymous because of online harassment and backlash she has faced for her ideas. [7] Furthermore according to The Daily Dot , the campaign gathered steam in July and August 2014, when several prominent columnists and bloggers brought media attention to it. [8]

A September 12, 2017 post to the Women Against Feminism blog titled "What is Feminism?" maps out the arguments of the blog's supporters. Community member and writer Jinna states "If Women Against Feminism were asked if they believe men and women should have equal human rights and equality before the law, the answer would be a resounding 'Yes'" "Jinna" also known as "Jana Xiolier" also runs a YouTube channel and Facebook group for Women Against Feminism. [9] [10] [11] The blog raises issue with the modern practice of feminism rather than the fundamental definition of feminism for the reason given that "3rd wave feminism is not feminism". It argues that as long as men and women are equal before the law, feminism is unnecessary, fosters misandry, and distracts from men's rights issues.

Women Against Feminism is inclusive of both traditional minded, right leaning, conservative women who are non feminist and egalitarian, left leaning, liberal women who are non feminist. The women in women against feminism do not all want the same things or have the same goals. Some support legal equality for men and women while others do not. It is a diverse group of non feminist women whose main goal was to reclaim the word "women" and to point out to feminist women that they can not and should not attempt to speak for all women.

Response

The response by the media, social commentators, and feminists has included support [6] [12] [13] [14] and criticism. [5] [15] [16] As of 19 August 2014, the campaign's Facebook page had garnered 21,000 likes. [17]

Supporters say modern feminism has gone astray in some ways and cite examples such as radical feminists not supporting trans women and saying things such as, "anyone born a man retains male privilege in society, even if he chooses to live as a woman", [18] and related complaints that some feminists exaggerate women's problems while ignoring men's problems. [13] Also cited was the abortion debate and the argument that women have suffered as a result of a feminist culture that promotes casual sex as empowering. [18] In an op-ed for The Globe and Mail , Margaret Wente supports Women Against Feminism, saying she believes modern feminism has become a belief system that presents a distorted view of reality based on misandry and victim-culture, and she questions the existence of rape culture. [6]

Critics say the young women involved in this campaign do not appear to know what feminism is and are arguing against an imaginary foe using straw man arguments. [15] [19] [20] A commentator from Time writes: "Most of the posts include some reiteration of the central misunderstanding about feminism, that a core belief of feminism involves hating men." [21] A commentator from The Irish Independent wrote, "being anti-feminism is like being pro-apartheid, or a big fan of social injustice, but no one would think it's cute to hold up a sign saying that.", [22] while independent researcher Mackenzie Cockerill states that "[a] global culture of misogyny is growing and flourishing thanks to the internet and its unprecedented potential for connecting people and their ideas." [23]

Commenting on the campaign, Anette Borchorst, professor and researcher in sex and gender in the Department of Political Science, Aalborg University, stated that "there have always been disagreements and debates within feminism and those debates help to advance the movement." She added that, "Feminism has always generated debate among women and it is difficult to imagine a feminist world-view that everyone can agree on." [17]

Beulah Maud Devaney's September 2015 column on openDemocracy compares Women Against Feminism to the history of women's opposition to feminism dating back to the late 1700s, suggesting that a modern anti-feminist campaign will be just as ineffective in combating the feminist movement as preceding efforts. Devaney asserts that Women Against Feminism mainly represents the view of privileged women who want to maintain the status quo and are, thus, deliberately misrepresenting what feminism stands for. According to Devaney, "As intersectional feminism becomes more popular it is, sadly, to be expected that some white, straight, cis first world women will see the emphasis on their own privilege as an attack. In a similar way feminist calls for a more inclusive beauty standard and appreciation of multiple body types can be read as an attempt to undermine the received wisdom that 'skinny white girl' is the ideal aesthetic." Devaney adds that Women Against Feminism has failed to stem public support for the feminist agenda, that its influence is minor, and that its arguments are "easy to dismiss." Devaney concludes, however, that the anti-feminism it represents deserves closer examination. [24]

In October 2015, Angela Epstein mentioned the blog in an editorial criticizing feminists for being unpleasant to women who disagree with them. Epstein argues that feminists have lost their cause and are fighting unnecessary battles and overplaying issues such as women's "self-imposed glass ceiling". [25] Recounting her experience of receiving insulting messages after sharing her stance on modern feminism with BBC News, she states, "I don't expect all women to agree with me. But there are many who do. Look no further than the proliferation of websites such as Women Against Feminism." [25]

Recent works such as Oana Crusmac's The Social Representation of Feminism within the movement "Women Against Feminism" argues that social representation of feminism within WAF is not based on lack of information, but rather on a stereotypical understanding of the concept. Crusmac's work also argues that "WAF contributors do not quality as post-feminists" as "While post-feminists can be easily identified and characterised by the already famous expression 'I am not a feminist, but ...', WAF contributors categorically reject any feminist resemblance and instead prefer either to be labelled as 'humanist' or 'egalitarian', either to be strong supporters of the traditional gender roles." [26] Crusmac's research also reveals that social representation of feminism in the on-line group WAF has "numerous common elements with the way the second wave was stereotyped by the 80s media backlash against feminism, such as: feminism is an ideology that demonizes men and does not wish equality (which is a goal already accomplished), but special treatment and privileges for women, thereby ignoring the individual contribution in shaping success or decision making. Moreover, in the same direction in common with the negative illustration of the 80s, feminism is seen as a threat to family and womanhood, and as a promoter of promiscuity." [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern societies are patriarchal—they prioritize the male point of view—and that women are treated unjustly in these societies. Efforts to change this include fighting against gender stereotypes and improving educational, professional, and interpersonal opportunities and outcomes for women.

Misandry is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against men or boys.

Liberal feminism, also called mainstream feminism, is a main branch of feminism defined by its focus on achieving gender equality through political and legal reform within the framework of liberal democracy and informed by a human rights perspective. It is often considered culturally progressive and economically center-right to center-left. As the oldest of the "Big Three" schools of feminist thought, liberal feminism has its roots in 19th century first-wave feminism seeking recognition of women as equal citizens, focusing particularly on women's suffrage and access to education, the effort associated with 19th century liberalism and progressivism. Liberal feminism "works within the structure of mainstream society to integrate women into that structure." Liberal feminism places great emphasis on the public world, especially laws, political institutions, education and working life, and considers the denial of equal legal and political rights as the main obstacle to equality. As such liberal feminists have worked to bring women into the political mainstream. Liberal feminism is inclusive and socially progressive, while broadly supporting existing institutions of power in liberal democratic societies, and is associated with centrism and reformism. Liberal feminism tends to be adopted by white middle-class women who do not disagree with the current social structure; Zhang and Rios found that liberal feminism with its focus on equality is viewed as the dominant and "default" form of feminism. Liberal feminism actively supports men's involvement in feminism and both women and men have always been active participants in the movement; progressive men had an important role alongside women in the struggle for equal political rights since the movement was launched in the 19th century.

This is an index of articles related to the issue of feminism, women's liberation, the women's movement, and women's rights.

Postfeminism is an alleged decrease in popular support for feminism from the 1990s onwards. It can be considered a critical way of understanding the changed relations between feminism, femininity and popular culture. The term is sometimes confused with subsequent feminisms such as fourth-wave feminism, postmodern feminism, and xenofeminism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathy Young</span> Russian-American writer (born 1963)

Catherine Alicia Young is a Russian-American journalist. Young is primarily known for her writing about feminism and other cultural issues, as well as about Russia and the former Soviet Union. She is the author of two books, a frequent contributor to the American libertarian monthly Reason, and a regular columnist for Newsday. In 2022, she joined The Bulwark as a staff writer. She describes her political views as "libertarian/conservative".

Pro-feminism refers to support of the cause of feminism without implying that the supporter is a member of the feminist movement. The term is most often used in reference to men who actively support feminism and its efforts to bring about the political, economic, cultural, personal, and social equality of women with men. A number of pro-feminist men are involved in political activism, most often in the areas of gender equality, women's rights, and ending violence against women.

Antifeminism, also spelled anti-feminism, is opposition to feminism. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, antifeminists opposed particular policy proposals for women's rights, such as the right to vote, educational opportunities, property rights, and access to birth control. In the mid and late 20th century, antifeminists often opposed the abortion-rights movement.

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Gynocentrism is a dominant or exclusive focus on women in theory or practice. Anything can be gynocentric when it is considered exclusively with a female or feminist point of view in mind. The opposite practice, placing the masculine point of view at the centre, is androcentrism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feminism in the United States</span>

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References

  1. ↑ "Women against feminism". twitter. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  2. ↑ Crusmac, Oana (2017). "The Social Representation of Feminism within the On-line Movement "Women Against Feminism". Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations. 19: 5. doi: 10.21018/rjcpr.2017.1.228 .
  3. ↑ "Tumblr".
  4. ↑ "Women Against Feminism". Tumblr. July 2013.
  5. 1 2 Smith, Michelle, "Actually, women, you do need feminism", The Conversation , 18 August 2014
  6. 1 2 3 Wente, Margaret, "Women against #WomenAgainstFeminism", The Globe and Mail , 9 August 2014
  7. ↑ "Meet the 'Women Against Feminism'". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  8. ↑ Elderkin, Beth, "Who are the 'Women Against Feminism'?", The Daily Dot
  9. ↑ "womenagainstfeminism". Tumblr.
  10. ↑ "Women Against Feminism". YouTube .
  11. ↑ "Facebook". www.facebook.com.
  12. ↑ Young, Cathy, "Women Against Feminism: Some women want equality without anger", Boston Globe , 2 September 2014
  13. 1 2 Young, Cathy (24 July 2014). "Stop Fem-Splaining: What #womenagainstfeminism Get Right". Time . Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  14. ↑ Other citations:
  15. 1 2 Martin, Heather, ""Women Against Feminism" Misses the Point: Why No Woman (or Man) Should be Against Feminism", HuffPost , 4 August 2014
  16. ↑ Other citations:
  17. 1 2 Lindberg, Helle, "Nu går kvinder selv til kamp mod feminismen Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine " (Women Themselves Now Battle Against Feminism), TV 2 , 19 August 2014
  18. 1 2 Riley, Naomi Schaefer, "Scenes from the feminist implosion", New York Post , 4 August 2014
  19. ↑ Abcarian, Robin (8 August 2014). "The willfully ignorant women who post on 'Women Against Feminism'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  20. ↑ Teital, Emma (8 August 2014). "Feminism is not whatever you want it to be". Maclean's. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  21. ↑ Alter, Charlotte (23 July 2014). "#WomenAgainstFeminism Is Happening Now". Time. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  22. ↑ Harrington, Katy (3 August 2014). "Why would anyone be against feminism?". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  23. ↑ Cockerill, MacKenzie (2019). "Convergence on Common Ground: MRAs, Memes and Transcultural Contexts of Digital Misogyny". In Ging, Debbie; Siapera, Eugenia (eds.). Gender Hate Online: Understanding the New Anti-Feminism. Springer International Publishing. p. 87. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-96226-9_5. ISBN   978-3-319-96226-9. S2CID   199020091.
  24. ↑ Devaney, Beulah Maud, "The overlooked history of women against feminism", openDemocracy , 21 September 2015
  25. 1 2 Epstein, Angela, "Why are feminists so unpleasant to women?", The Telegraph , 13 October 2015
  26. 1 2 Crusmac, Oana (2017). "The Social Representation of Feminism within the On-line Movement "Women Against Feminism"". Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations. 19: 23. doi: 10.21018/rjcpr.2017.1.228 .
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