In recent years, the feminist movement has gained a lot more attention with events such as the Trump inauguration, the Harvey Weinstein case, and the online presence of the #MeToo campaign. So, why do so many people – specifically young women – still say that they do not identify with the term ‘feminist’? There’s a lot to say about the stereotypes attached to the notions of feminism, with many people assuming that identifying as a feminist and expressing femininity are often mutually exclusive attributes. This belief, not only being obviously incorrect, serves to perpetuate the negative connotations that society has created regarding feminism and also explores how expressions of femininity are supposedly inferior to more androgynous or masculine presentations.

So, what actually is feminism? Well, in its entirety, feminism is the belief in the social, economic, and political equality of all people. It’s not, as many people haphazardly state, the belief that women should be treated ‘better’ than men or have ‘more rights’ than men do. It stems purely from the historical notion that women have been treated in much more of a derogatory manner than men, and have not had equal access to things such as the right to vote, the right to education, even the right to leave the house without a male chaperone. Now, in most cases, the extremities of this have improved, but some women across the world still face these issues as of today, and the feminist movement serves to bring light to that – educating all generations on the importance of equality for all.

Now, this all sounds very well and good on the surface, and, in my opinion, still holds this underneath all of its layers, but when conversations of gender, sexuality, masculinity, and femininity are brought into the mix, people often fall on the defensive side and feminists are demonised as aggressive, man-hating, and radical. Women associating themselves with feminism are seen as inherently less feminine in their character, regardless of their appearance or identity preference, and are often linked directly to ideas of more masculine and ‘butch’ images, as well as assumed lesbianism. On the flip side, however, women who are not openly associating themselves with feminism, and have a preference of feminine characteristics, are often deemed as much more submissive, stupid, and meek. Here we have a massive issue: women are forced to choose the lesser of two evils, when in actual fact, both feminism and femininity are able to coexist if society allows itself to acknowledge this.

So, where does this leave us? Well, it seems more and more apparent now that the issue doesn’t lie within a genuine disregard for equality for all, but more so in the societal connotations of the etymology itself. Actually, a 2018 YouGov poll found that 8 out of every 10 people said that ‘men and women should be treated equally in every way’ with many agreeing that sexism is still an issue, yet from this same poll, only 3 out of every 10 people said ‘yes’ when asked if they were a feminist. The rejection of feminism isn’t wholly rooted in a desire for male dominance, but more so in a fear of the stereotypical connotations that come with that identity.

And what about the women who do call themselves feminists? They often fit the bill of the so-called ‘difficult woman.’ A trope found within children’s and mainstream media, whether it be an absent mother too focused on her work to take on her assumed domesticated role, or a power-hungry businesswoman, who has no time for friends or family. Whoever it may be, these women, aware of the power of their womanhood, are demonised as unattractive, selfish, manly, and dismissive. All of this creates the same idea that is imprinted on us from birth: women who stand up for themselves are not real women at all, and are unreasonable in their demands. From this issue of the supposed ‘difficult women’ we, as a society, are teaching young children that girls aren’t allowed to choose how they act without accepting the repercussions, and more importantly, that they can’t stand up for themselves, take charge, and also wear pink.

Women don’t owe anybody anything, but as a society, we owe women the decency to choose who they want to be and how they want to act. Destigmatising the roots of feminism allow for greater paths of equality to grow.