Something important that a majority of men do not understand is the basic idea of feminism. Many people have false conceptions of what feminism really is, for they believe that it is a bunch of angry lesbian women who hate men. In reality, feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equallity to men, and contrary to popular belief, both genders can be feminists. The idea revolves around the principle that even though human bodies are biologically built to perform different functions, it does not determine a person's intellectual and social functions, capabilities, and rights. Additionally, some men do not believe that women are unequal to men, however, there are many real world examples to prove them wrong.
School dress codes are mainly targetted at what women wear, thus inhibiting the sexualization of their bodies. Specifically, the dress code at Saline Middle School states that students must have shirts with at least three finger wide straps and shorts that are longer than where their finger tips fall on the legs. There are numerous problems with this rule being enforced including that only females are targeted by this set of rules. Chances are, if a boy in the middle school wore a tank top, he wouldn't get in trouble because he has "nothing to hide" anyway. Yet when a young seventh grade girl is dressed the same way, she is sent to the principals office because it is "against school policy." When a girl is sent out of class due to how she is dressed, it teaches her that what she wears is more important than her education. Such dress codes sexualize young girls by encouraging them to cover up parts of their bodies to ensure that boys do not get distracted in school. Society raises girls to believe that they need to cover their shoulders and hide their breasts in order to look appropriate, and dress codes exemplify these false standards. Unfair expectations of female dress are only one reason that feminism is clearly necessary.
Unequal treatment seen in dress codes is not the only reason that feminism exists. It exists because some men still believe that it is acceptable to take advantage of a woman's body, that the only purpose of a woman is to deliver babies and provide men pleasure, and that it is okay to discount the idea of mutual consent. Raping a woman because "she asked for it" or because she was drunk does not justify this terrible action. In some states a woman has to pay for her abortion when she is raped, how is this fair?
Overall, it is important that men have an understanding of what feminism is and why it exists.
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Something important that a majority of men do not understand is the basic idea of feminism. Many people have false conceptions of what feminism really is, for they believe that it is a bunch of angry lesbian women who hate men (linker). In reality, feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equallity to men (lister), and contrary to popular belief, both genders can be feminists. The idea revolves around the principle that even though human bodies are biologically built to perform different functions, it does not determine a person's intellectual and social functions, capabilities, and rights (lister). Additionally, some men do not believe that women are unequal to men, however, there are many real world examples to prove them wrong.
School dress codes are mainly targetted at what women wear, a set of sexist guidelines, thus inhibiting the sexualization of their bodies (interrupter). Specifically, the dress code at Saline Middle School states that students must have shirts with at least three finger wide straps and shorts that are longer than where their finger tips fall on the legs. There are numerous problems with this rule being enforced, including that only females are targeted by this set of rules. Chances are, if a boy in the middle school wore a tank top, he wouldn't get in trouble because he has "nothing to hide" anyway (introducer). Yet when a young seventh grade girl is dressed the same way, she is sent to the principals office because it is "against school policy." (introducer) When a girl is sent out of class due to how she is dressed, it teaches her that what she wears is more important than her education. Such dress codes sexualize young girls by encouraging them to cover up parts of their bodies to ensure that boys do not get distracted in school. Society raises girls to believe that they need to cover their shoulders and hide their breasts in order to look appropriate, and dress codes exemplify these false standards (linker). Unfair expectations of female dress are only one reason that feminism is clearly necessary.
Unequal treatment seen in dress codes, especially at schools, is not the only reason that feminism exists (interrupter). It exists because some men still believe that it is acceptable to take advantage of a woman's body, that the only purpose of a woman is to deliver babies and provide men pleasure, and that it is okay to discount the idea of mutual consent. Raping a woman because "she asked for it" or because she was drunk does not justify this terrible action. In some states a woman has to pay for her abortion when she is raped, how is this fair?
Overall, it is important that men have an understanding of what feminism is and why it exists.
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