this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2025
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Might help also to describe what you think feminism is, since it's one of those terms that is overloaded.

I once had a physical therapist tell me she wasn't a feminist because she thought women couldn't be as physically capable as men when serving as soldiers, and seemed to believe feminism requires treating women exactly like men.

I told her I was a feminist because I believe in equal rights for men and women, an idea she did not seem so opposed to.

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[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Yep. Screw the patriarchy.

As a guy though, uh… I guess I’m passive? For better or worse, my impulse is usually to point to women to do the talking on this subject, who should be platformed instead of some dude fumbling to explain what they don’t experience.

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[–] agent_nycto@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (2 children)

There's so many flavors of feminism, and some self described feminists have been pretty wack, I'm just gonna be an egalitarian.

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[–] daggermoon@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago

The thing about feminism is it benifits everybody. Men are a victim of the patriarchy as are women. I believe feminism is necessary to create a better world for everybody.

[–] ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Feminist as fuck!

Feminism is the fight for equality, with a particular focus on the needs of women and folk perceived as women. Men are included in feminism, but indirectly, in that improving equality for women necessarily requires addressing systems, norms and issues that negatively impact men as well.

Sure, it's easy to say that you're "egalitarian" or believe in "equality for all", but those sound bites, whilst heading off the anti feminist folk, completely fail to address the fact that inequality is not equally spread between men and women. When everything else is equal, women still deal with more inequality than men, and feminism is exists because of that fact

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 4 days ago

When everything else is equal, women still deal with more inequality than men, and feminism is exists because of that fact

this is such a succinct and eloquent point about why "feminism" is focused on women at all ... this point seems lost on so many men, who seem to think "equality" demands we ignore the way inequality and power is distributed, as if the only approach to the situation is a kind of gender-blindness, and anything else is hypocrisy

[–] DavidDoesLemmy@aussie.zone 8 points 4 days ago (7 children)

Can you explain how women deal with more inequality than men?

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[–] for_some_delta@beehaw.org 2 points 3 days ago

I see feminism as a component of minimizing heirarchy and moving toward anarchy.

Instead of the liberal conception of rights, I would use equality of individual liberty and social solidarity regardless of gender or sex. Definitionally, I claim gender as performative and sex as related to procreative genitals. Maybe it's all just worbs, that is, political words without meaning.

Those in favor of heirarchy use "equality of outcome" as a bludgeon. Humans do not need "equality of outcome". We need autonomy to make choices about our lives. We need societies that take care of each other. Heirarchies such as patriarchy prevent making choices and taking care of each other.

As a bonus rant, the rube statement, "What is a woman?", can be answered with, "Who is pink for?". The provocateur wants to conflate gender and sex, but is too embarassed to come out and discuss genitals. A logical follow-up for the embarassed trap-setter could be, "Which genitals taste the best?". The point being don't entertain traps with anything but hostility.

I know posting is masturbatory, since I often fail to read replies. I'm sure your reply will be great and I will probably fail to read it. I'm still working on social solidarity.

[–] Core_of_Arden@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 days ago

I guess I'm a feminist, but I don't really call myself a feminist. I call myself a humanist, maybe even an environmentalist, because I believe that all humans, and animals, and the environment should have rights, and should be protected against greedy, scared and powerhungry (sick) individuals.

[–] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

'Feminist' is one of those terms that seems to have different definitions based on who you ask. I don't know what you call me but I'm a proponent of Equal Rights Amendment full-stop.

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As an anarchist, sexism and cisheteropatriarchy are unjustifiable hierarchies, and therefore I oppose them. In turn, this makes me an intersectional feminist.

[–] klemptor@startrek.website 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I am a staunch second-wave feminist. I believe in equal rights and equal respect for men and women and everyone else who doesn't fit into that binary, and that all should be able to work toward the life that suits them best without worrying about traditional gender roles.

It makes me sad to see women who are quick to say they're not a feminist, because they certainly benefit from feminism and I think they'd be rightly enraged if that went away. If they lost the right to vote, to have a bank account or own a home, to pursue whatever education interests them and work in that field, to choose whether/when/how to have children (RIP Roe v Wade), etc. I think a lot of women take a lot of these things for granted, but they exist because of feminism.

Sadly, I think the term 'feminism' has been successfully demonized in online spaces, to the point that many think it's the same as feminazi. In part this is because the most awful and vocal part of any movement draws a lot of negative attention, and subsequently those who are against equality for women can use feminazis as a boogeyman to denigrate the feminist movement.

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[–] BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I don't like labels and I never considered myself a feminist but I probably am compatible to this label. I simply try to be a decent person to everyone regardless of virtually everything, and constantly ask myself whether any kind of bias or prejudice played a role in an opinion or decision I made.

[–] dharmacurious@slrpnk.net 4 points 3 days ago

I'd specifically think of myself as an anarchafeminist, so yes, I'd say I'm a feminist. Fuck bullshit gender division, and fuck anybody who thinks someone is less capable because of their genitals or the clothes they wear (or if those things "match" or not)

[–] hoshikarakitaridia@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I am not a feminist.

Feminism has a variety of different flavors with sets of specific ideals that are not a priority in my view, however the basic idea of equal rights is definitely important to me. The more I think about it, the less I feel I know what I'm talking about which is also why I don't wanna signify I have strong foundational knowledge on this topic. "Equality" is kind of baseline and not what you expect most kinds of feminism to expand to.

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[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 7 points 4 days ago

If a feminist is just anyone who supports woman’s rights then yes I am a feminist. I’m not an activist though I don’t go out of my way to help.

[–] arsCynic@beehaw.org 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

“Ecofeminists examine the effect of gender categories in order to demonstrate the ways in which social norms exert unjust dominance over women and nature. The philosophy also contends that those norms lead to an incomplete view of the world, and its practitioners advocate an alternative worldview that values the earth as sacred, recognizes humanity’s dependency on the natural world, and embraces all life as valuable.” —https://www.britannica.com/topic/ecofeminism

Yes. Because it goes hand in hand with Cynicism, my main guiding philosophy:

Cynic: “an adherent of an ancient Greek school of philosophers who held the view that virtue is the only good and that its essence lies in self-control and independence” —Merriam-Webster

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 3 days ago

The Cynics (notably Diogenes of Sinope) also advocated for sexual relations between relatives (such as brothers and sisters), since incest norms were socially imposed and thus "arbitrary" in the view of the Cynics.

Diogenes also died after eating a live octopus, which is amusing.

Either way, love Cynicism (incest aside and all), cheers!

[–] niftybeaks@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 days ago

My definition of feminism is roughly: People of all genders share equal legal rights and social respect. This doesn't mean biological differences aren't real or shouldn't be considered.

So yes, I consider myself a feminist as I have defined above. I do support biological segregation of things like athletics. I say biological since there are obvious outliers when it comes to hormones, muscle mass, and reaction time differences between the biological sexes.

[–] ultranaut@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago

Yes, I am a feminist because I believe everyone has equal rights under the law regardless of their gender.

[–] npdean@lemmy.today 7 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

If feminism means equality, yes. If it means women are better than men, no. If it means women have been oppressed so now it is their turn, no.

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[–] deathbird@mander.xyz 2 points 3 days ago

I think people get too hung up on labels sometimes, but that said... If you're a feminist, then so am I. I don't think your PT's understanding was correct.

[–] razorcandy@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 4 days ago

I believe women and men should have equal rights and opportunities and that neither should be forced into certain roles or coddled because of their gender. However I also don’t believe that acknowledging differences between men and women is sexist, nor that equal opportunities resulting in unequal outcomes is a necessarily a result of sexism. I leave it up to others if they want to consider that feminism since I never associated myself with that particular term.

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