The internet is a strange and amusing place if you’re a woman. Every opinion a woman puts out there is invariably met with at least some that want nothing more than to try and patronise, sexualise or trivialise the lady and her words. ESPECIALLY if her words are coloured, even slightly, with… wait for it… feminism.
Feminism comes in a variety of shades, ladies and gentlemen, and one thing they all have in common (apart from the desire to promote women’s rights, obviously) is that they’re all grossly misunderstood. Predominantly by men, many times by women… and sometimes by fellow feminists too – presumably because the vessels of our minds are too full of preconceived notions about feminism that lead us to misjudge feminists and their movement entirely.
So we’ve brought you a little list of universal feminist ideals, simplified for the empty vessel. Be sure to empty your vessel of them damn preconceptions before you read any further, and I promise you, this could be the start of a new truce between men and women everywhere.
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We only hate the trivialisation and dismissal of our feminist concerns by men who may not have anything other than their privileged perspective to bring to the table.
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Patriarchy just happens to be a lot worse to women than to men.
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Don’t do it to anyone, really. But definitely don’t do it to women. We’ve had others tell us what we ought to wear/do/be for long enough.
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It’s easy to tell if you respect the women in your life, the moment you start talking about them. So don’t be careless with your words.
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Of course it’s true, silly! But painfully pointless.
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If it isn’t, it’s possible you might be classic mansplaining.
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When in doubt, give the woman the benefit of said doubt. Her world view is different from yours and she will thank you for respecting this difference even if you don’t understand it.
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If the offender and offended respect each other, there’s no reason a mutual understanding can’t be reached. Shit usually goes in the direction of ‘crazy’ when this respect is absent. Possibly on both sides.
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Do all women love talking? Are all women looking for long-term commitment as opposed to just sex? Can all men drive better than all women can? There is endless conflicting data addressing all of these questions. Pick your sources carefully and above all, examine whether through this data you’re actually trying to understand the way women are, or just trying to box ’em up into one or the other idea you have of them.
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No, it’s not a crazy, wonderful thing when a man helps around in the kitchen or takes an active interest in his child’s upbringing. NOT doing those things in an equal partnership is bad. It is up to us to make equality the new normal. First in our minds, then in the world.
To all the men reading this, proudly proclaim to the world that you’re a feminist. Or, let this t-shirt do the talking!
Buy it here.
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