When Feminism Became A Bad Word. - Binish Humayun
Medium | 09.12.2025 20:31
When Feminism Became A Bad Word.
- Binish Humayun
Feminism, meaning equal social, political, educational and economic rights for both men and women, had its first wave between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. What began as an ideological movement soon became, in the eyes of many, a topic of mockery in society.
Over the years, the true meaning of feminism has been twisted, misused and misunderstood. What one stood for equality now gets labelled as "man hating" or "anti men movement", terms that completely misinterpret feminism.
Many forget that feminism doesn't demand for the superiority of one gender over the other, it demands balance for equal rights, opportunities and voice. Yet, in today's time, when someone identifies as a feminist, they are often met with eye rolls, being mocked or accusations of "asking for more".
For a while, i couldn't understand how all of this misunderstanding began but now I have a rough idea. I believe much of this misinterpretation comes from the way feminism is portrayed in movies and social media. Movies like Animal, No Hard Feelings and American Psycho glorifies patriarchy as power and dismiss feminism as an outdated ideology, often by objectifying, lack of female perspective or silencing women's voice.
Even beyond media, many people who truly believe in equal rights and support the principles of feminism still hesitate to identify as feminists. They think feminism means being rebellious and dressing inappropriately.
On social media, influencers like Andrew Tate, who is highly celebrated by today's teens, especially boys, gained popularity solely by mocking feminism. They call women "inferior" to men and term feminism as "war against men".
Despite all the hate and mockery, the true meaning of feminism remains the same, i.e, equality, respect and freedom of choice. It is about allowing a girl to dream of becoming a leader just as much a boy can dream of becoming a dancer. It's time we stop treating feminism as a bad word and start seeing for what it truly is.
