Feminism is one of those hardball topics to write about, especially when you bring men into the mix. Those who haven’t delved into the topic of feminism probably assume that it’s all about lesbians, bra-burning, and man-hating, or that a feminist couldn’t possibly love a guy or desire to get down and dirty. Wrong! If those statements were true, it would make it especially puzzling to know male feminists do exist!
When we say male feminists, we don’t mean the oddball pushover male feminists who say it’s alright for their partner to cheat on them because a woman’s body is her own, or the ones who are just in it to be dominated.
I call myself a feminist
We’re looking at men taking on misogyny with these 19 feminist quotes from males around the world.
So, what is feminism anyway? Besides an alleged new-age four-letter word? To be a feminist means you advocate for women’s rights to be socially, economically, and politically equal to men. No bra-burning required! Here are a few awesome quotes from men who proudly call themselves feminists.
#1 “I call myself a feminist. Isn’t that what you call someone who fights for women’s rights?” – Dalai Lama
#2 “I’m a feminist inasmuch as I’m an egalitarian about everything, and I believe in meritocracy. I think anyone who isn’t, at this point, is just swimming against the tide, just like people who are vaguely homophobic or racist or s*xist.” – Daniel Radcliffe
#3 “I like writing strong women, because as a straight male, there’s nothing more attractive to me than a strong girl.” – Jay Baruchel
#4 “If I had a bucket list, I’d say raising my four girls to be strong, good women would be number one.” – Matt Damon
#5 “I do call myself a feminist. Absolutely! It’s worth paying attention to the roles that are sort of dictated to us and that we don’t have to fit into those roles. We can be anybody we wanna be.” – Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Equality is not a concept
Equality in feminism doesn’t mean that suddenly the man in the relationship stays home to change diapers, or that a woman should be designated the breadwinner of the house.
In reality, equality means taking on a balance of resources, goals, and decision-making equal between the couple. According to these men, equality should not be a mere concept.
#6 “Men ruled the roost and women played a subservient role *in the 1960s*. Working wives were a rarity, because their place was in the home, bringing up the kids. The women who did work were treated as second-class citizens, because it was a male-dominated society. That was a fact of life then. But it wouldn’t be tolerated today, and that’s quite right in my book. […] People look back on those days through a thick veil of nostalgia, but life was hard if you were anything other than a rich, powerful, white male.” – John Hamm *Infamous for his role as Don Draper—the ultimate womanizing ad-man of the 1960s—took a sharp turn away from his character to explain why life in the 50s and 60s wasn’t as idealistic as we all thought*.
#7 “It’s misogynistic in nature to try and control a woman’s s*xual presentation of self. I consider this an issue that is bigger than one film.” – Ryan Gosling
#8 “Equality is not a concept. It’s not something we should be striving for. It’s a necessity. Equality is like gravity. We need it to stand on this earth as men and women, and the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition.” – Joss Whedon
We’re not gonna take it… No! We ain’t gonna take it!
This section is for all of the men around the world who see the lack of equality and let everyone know what they want. From Kurt Cobain to the Greek philosopher Plato, these guys stood up for what they believed in.
#9 “If any of you in any way hate homos*xuals, people of a different color, or women, please do this one favor for us… don’t come to our shows and don’t buy our records.” – Kurt Cobain
#10 “I think misogyny is like a disease that needs to be cured. And if we could eradicate polio, I don’t see why we can’t eradicate misogyny.” – Alan Alda
