10 Lame Excuses To Not Be A Feminist

Feminism is for everyone; not just loud-mouthed, short-haired, lesbians who have a victims complex.

1. "Because I love men!"

Via yeah-yougotme.tumblr.com

Same, girl, same. Guys are great! If it weren't for a man, I wouldn't be standing here today. Being a feminist has absolutely nothing to do with hating men. It's about wanting equality! It's about saying, "Wow, bro! We aren't that different, right? So let's be treated as equals." Of course there are people out there who identify as misandrists or man-haters, but that is definitely not the majority. So saying that you're not a feminist because you love the opposite gender, is not only a cop-out, but it's a pretty uneducated excuse.

2. "Because I'm not oppressed."

FOX / Via jessicamiller.tumblr.com

Congratulations! You're incredibly lucky, because the majority of the women in the world don't have the luxury of saying they aren't oppressed. Think about someone other than yourself for a second. When you turn on the TV, you can see that women are being raped, sexually assaulted, harassed, abused, underpaid, disrespected, and undervalued SOLEY because they are women. This movement is not about the individual. It's about standing in solidarity with women around the world who are being oppressed.

3. "Because I love being girly!"

FOX / Via bubblybunny9.tumblr.com

Trust me, I do too. I have a fashion blog for Pete's sake. There is a whole section of my closet dedicated to high heels. I do my hair, put on make-up, and wear floral patterns like it's my job. Who said that being girly means you can't be a feminist? If anything, feminism is trying to tell the world that femininity should be praised, not looked down upon. But it's also saying, "hey, if you don't fall into those gender norms though, that's totally cool too." Gender is a spectrum, and everyone on that spectrum deserves to be treated with the same rights and respect.

4. "Because the pay gap doesn't exist."

NBC / Via thingscanhope.tumblr.com

Alright, now that's just false. It absolutely does. Women are paid 78 percent of what men are for the exact same job with the exact same qualifications. Isn't that ABSURD? How can you be okay with that? How can you stand by and say that you don't need feminism when the workforce values women significantly less than it does men. Women are just as smart and just as capable, so this makes zero sense to me. It still baffles me that this hasn't been fixed yet...

5. "Because I'm a dude."

The majority of animal rights activists aren't animals. Personally, I think all men should be feminists. Think about your mom: the woman who gave you life, and fed you from her own body, and watched you make mistakes, and who loved you unconditionally. Now tell me, do you honestly think that she is inferior to 50% of the population? Or think about your daughter (or future daughter). How would you feel if she was touched on the street by a random stranger, or followed home, or blamed for her own rape? So...tell me again, bro, why you're not a feminist?

6. "I want to raise my son to be a gentleman."

Via grapjack.tumblr.com

I too want my son to hold doors open for people, and be polite, and courteous. But I also want my daughter to do those things. I want my future children to be respectful of both men AND women. Because those are attributes of decent human beings...not just gentlemen. Feminism is not trying to kill chivalry (mostly because it's already dead), but it's trying to remind the world that women don't need a man in their lives to survive.

7. "Because like...freedom of speech."

NBC

No no no no no. You don't get too pull this crap with me. It is not a person's right to shout inappropriate comments at a person on the street. It is not a person's right to slut shame. It is not a person's right to demean other people. But since we're on the subject of rights, let's talk about some other ones, shall we? A woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body. A woman should have the right to wear whatever she wants and not be called a slut or told that she's "got a fine ass" by some creepy dude. A woman should have the right to have sex with as many people as she wants. Because guys have all of those rights, right? Right.

8. "Rape culture doesn't exist."

NBC

Unfortunately, we live in a culture where women are supposed to be sex goddesses, but in moderation, because then she's a slut, but if she doesn't put out then she's a prude, so maybe if I just keep pushing her and pushing her she'll go home with me and at the very least suck my dick. Girls lie and say that they have boyfriends so that some guy at a bar will leave them alone, because just saying "no" isn't a good enough excuse. That doesn't sound the least bit rapey to you?

9. "Men and women are different, you can't deny that."

HBO

Yes. Men and women are different biologically. We have different hormones and different strengths. Testosterone enables men to be stronger physically. Women can carry children. But that doesn't necessarily make one better than another. Leadership takes creativity, intelligence, confidence, and responsibility. Do these things have anything to do with hormones? Absolutely not, because having good character isn't hormonal. Men and women are different, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be treated as equals.

10. "Because feminism is full of hypocrisy."

NBC

If you're getting your information from EliteDaily or ThoughtCatalog, then yeah, it probably seems a little hypocritical. But the fundamentals of feminism are about equality, love, and respect. Those things don't sound so bad, do they? Bottom line, do your own research. Don't just make your decision based on silly articles that random people write, including this one. The feminist movement isn't going to go away, so you should at least inform yourself about it before you decide that feminism isn't for you.