Can a man be a feminist?

[SunshineOutdoors]

Hi,

Years ago when I was at university I did a module that focused on women in the media (I think, memory is a bit hazy!). In the first class, the teacher asked us to raise our hands if we considered ourselves to be a feminist. There was one male in the group who put his hand up; the teacher informed him he couldn't be a feminist because he's a man.

I suppose with all the 'this is what a feminist looks like' t shirt wearing, the memory has been brought back to me. Does feminist theory have an official 'stance' on this? Just genuinely interested. If a man has the same thoughts/thinking as a feminist is there a different term for that?

Thanks, I hope I'm posting in the right section and I'm genuinely asking for more information, not to make a point/goad or anything. Just want to learn more.

SunshineOutdoors God thats so interesting I just added a post saying that my sociology lecturer did th ecomplete opposite. He started the lecture saying he WAS one! this was in the late 90's. Your story scares me, isn't that some of the problem, sayign that men can't support womens issues how ridiculous.

The best dressed at the races, to me just is objectification the whole way and I don't support it. maybe some women would take part and say they were a fem, but really meaning they have the right to do what they want. That's very different from my perspective and doesn't makes a any sense. Objectification of both men and women is PANTS. Men are having mental issues becasue of this pressure put on them, bulimia, steriods etc. somethign as we all know used to be just in the female sphere.

Personally I believe that men and women are of equal worth and society should treat them as such. I am careful not to describe my self as a feminist because the term seems so broad with such alot of different perspectives under the flag of feminism. The definition of feminism is somewhat blurred.

I struggle with working out if being fair is total equality or giving an extra hand to artificially level the playing field. For example in terms of gender should all athletics events be mixed gender? This would be make things equal but would maybe also be unfair due to different physiology. It's a difficult one to me. I want a fair society all regardless of gender. I don't have all the answers so the best I can do is treat people as I wish to be treated with tollarance and respect and stand up to injustice. Whether that be male or female rights or any of injustice. This is also what I teach my children and try to set a good example.

It's appropriation of womens liberation and entitled colonization of the marginalized for men to claim to be feminist.

But surely men can be 'anti-sexist'.
In the same way as people can be anti-racist without belonging to an ethnic minority.
And then the real (and very interesting) question is - what is the difference between feminism and anti-sexism?

A feminist supports feminism. Which means someone who supports equal rights for everyone. So, in my definition, of course a male can be a feminist.

Yes.
Many feminists don't want this to be true,but it's essential. Those feminists tend to always want a fight.
Pankhurst actually married her already feminist husband, not the other way around.

Just like with race, if you say all white people are racist and can't be egalitarians or pro race equality..and it becomes true, you set back progress not enhance it.

I think it's damaging to exclude men, but there's also a paradox. If you believe in invisible and visible male power keeping women disadvantaged, then you are at the same time requiring men to be feminist to achieve the goals of feminism, because you need to change the views and/or behaviour of the power group to align with your own.

Yes of course a man can be a feminist.

I agree with myself from two years ago

The very definition of feminism is equal rights for men and women. So, by not allowing a man to be a feminist, you cannot be a feminist yourself, and are just as sexist as those men you are trying to exclude.

Given that one key part of the problem is men telling women what to do, it seems hard to believe a man could be more than a supporter. However, personally I do like to think men can be feminists, just not leaders of the movement. I guess it depends a bit on your definition of "feminist".

Can a man be a feminist? Apparently so...

Brendan O'Neill's foreword to Ella Whelan's new book - What Women Want: Fun, Freedom and an End to Feminism