Once hailed as the cornerstone of sex equality, feminism has now shifted from women advocating for fundamental civil rights to adopting toxic anti-male agendas, with t-shirts reading “Make Boys Cry” skyrocketing in sales. Yet this exposes the truth that toxic feminism is morphing into a new version of sexism. The very idea juxtaposes the conventional narrative that feminism is about the equality of sexes, an idea we have never been allowed to question.
Historically, the first wave of feminism was characterized by women protesting for their right to vote after being politically silenced for centuries. This uphill battle against one issue then extended into addressing a broader scope of problems like workplace discrimination and sexual harassment. While feminism has undoubtedly had a dynamic journey with triumphs such as the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (which allowed women to dispute any pay disparities), modern feminism has adopted a subgroup of toxic feminism; putting blanket statements on men and slandering them. What was once a movement for equality has now morphed into a trend of pointing the finger at men and hating them to “empower women ” or to cope with the trauma of male figures in their lives. The phrases “Kill All Men” or quotes like “you can’t spell disappointment without men ” may seem light-hearted but contribute to a more significant problem of double standards. If any man were to utter the words “Kill All Women”, everyone would be calling him out and condemning him. So why is it any different with men? The existence of such double standards contradicts the principles feminism has sought to dismantle.
Now, of course, the trend to hate men as a form of female empowerment is not shared by every feminist, but its presence on social media is undoubtedly prevalent. Social media influencers sporting t-shirts that read “Make Boys Cry” were met with a tidal wave of support from females and backlash from men. It was interpreted as empowering for females because historically, males were considered to be the dominant gender. However, all you have to do is replace the word “Boys” with “Girls” on the shirt to finally understand the problem behind encouraging people to target boys and making them cry.
The historical strides made by feminism, like the enactment of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, are integral to what women can do today. However, the current trend of fostering hatred for men as a form of empowerment contradicts the original purpose of feminism in the first place. To continue the legacy of feminism and enact positive change, we must set a basic standard of respect for all genders. That starts now.
