“I call it feminism instead of equality because it is the feminine traits that men and women are shamed for. It is the feminine traits that society needs to accept.” - Unknown

Feminism is defined as “the belief in or advocacy of women’s social, political, and economic rights, especially with regard to equality of the sexes.” The connotation with feminism is often a movement that places women above men, but that’s wrong. Feminism affects guys too. It destroys the idea that males have to behave in the stereotypical way they are expected to. Hyper masculinity is the exaggeration of male conventional behavior, including emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality. When men believe masculinity equals dominance, they expect women to play the submissive role. This ideology encourages women to accept that they’re targets for violence and sexualizing. Hyper masculinity in our culture causes boys to be molded into men who can’t cry because it’s girly or dress stylishly because that’s “gay,” being gay seen as feminine, like an insult. Males’ confidence can be touchy due to these expectations, which leads to violence when their manliness is questioned. This movement is about equality and if men and women were equal, then hyper masculinity and controlling behavior wouldn’t be so prevalent today, so please open your eyes and call yourself a feminist.