I decided to make this stamp because I'm seeing more and more misconceptions about feminism every day, and I find it sad that so many people are buying into these fallacies without question.

Feminism-- a movement for social, political and economic equality of the genders

Feminism is based on equality. A person cannot be a feminist if he/she is striving for the superiority of a particular gender. Feminists are equalists. If you are an equalist, you are a feminist. Saying, "I am an equalist, but not a feminist", is a contradiction.

Female-Supremacist-- a person who believes in or advocates the supremacy of the female gender

Female-supremacists are not feminists, as they contradict what feminism is about, which is equality. Will some female-supremacists call themselves 'feminists'? Some will. But just because someone labels themselves as something doesn't mean that's what they actually are. If you saw someone claiming to be 'anti-racist' discriminating against a minority, you would think, "That person isn't anti-racist". When you see a female-supremacist claiming to be 'feminist', you should think, "Nope. That person isn't feminist".

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It is unfortunate that the word 'feminism' carries a negative connotation nowadays due to popular misconceptions, when it's actually something very positive and beautiful. It doesn't help that the media has done a very effective job portraying any and all feminists as unreasonable, man-hating, unattractive, bra-burning crazies (look up the 'Straw Feminist' trope), which is a fallacy. Like all movements, feminism has a few extremists, but in reality this group is in the minority. There are significantly less feminist extremists than you would think there are from television and other media outlets (especially in the ways they are usually portrayed).

All that being said, there is nothing wrong with preferring to use a different label to identify yourself as "someone who is for the equality of the genders" (when it comes down to it, the most important thing is that there are people out there fighting for equal rights and opportunities, no matter what name they go by), but if done for the reason of not wanting to use the word 'feminism' in fear of being associated with "crazies" or "female-supremacists", then you are contributing to the misconceptions and are being counter-productive to the cause. To allow people to redefine the word 'feminist' as something negative is to allow them to degrade the years of important, positive work feminists have accomplished in getting equal rights for women to the extent that it is now, as if their achievements were something bad. To allow people to redefine the word 'feminist' as something negative is to allow them to dismiss the important, positive work for equality that is still being done all over the world.

The fact that the word has been so misconstrued and misrepresented is in itself evidence that feminism is still relevant in present-day society.

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Correcting the Misconceptions:

Feminism advocates the supremacy of women.
WRONG. Feminism advocates equality of the genders.

Only women can be feminists.
WRONG. Anyone can be a feminist, regardless of their gender. Anyone who believes in and supports gender equality is a feminist.

Feminism only helps women.
WRONG. Misogyny and sexism hurt everyone. Feminism helps fight against misogyny and sexism. Feminism helps everyone. (For more thoughts on this: [link] [link] [link] [link])

More myths and facts about Feminism: [link]

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If your interest in Feminism has been piqued or you are looking for more information on Feminist issues, here are a few basic links to resources to get you started:

- Name It. Change It. - a non-partisan project working to end sexist and misogynistic coverage of women candidates by the press
- Women in Media and News & Women Make Movies
- Killing Us Softly 4: Sexism in Advertising **A video everyone should see.
- Seven Ways to Love Your Body
- Playing Unfair: The Media Image of the Female Athlete
- Sites that advocate equality and promote sports and physical activity for girls and women: Girls in the Game, Women's Sports Foundation
- What is the Bechdel Test? & Why film schools teach screenwriters not to pass the Bechdel test
- The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory
- Advice From An Abuse Survivor & Getting a Good Look at Abuse and Assault
- Abuse & Domestic Violence Help Sites: You Are Not Crazy, Abuse Against Women, Abuse Aware, RAINN, Partnership Against Domestic Violence, Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project, Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women
- Informative sites/pages on sexual violence: This Is Not An Invitation To Rape Me, Date Rape Drugs, Men Can Stop Rape, Sexual Harassment Support, Dealing with Rape
- How You Guys -- that's right, you GUYS -- Can Prevent Rape & Why should men care about sexual violence?
- Teaching Sexual Ethics: What is the Problem? & Writings - an educational consultant's method for teaching not only girls, but especially boys, about the real issues that foster rape culture
- What is Rape Culture?: Rape Culture 101, Brief Summary of Rape Culture
- What is Victim Blaming? (PDF)
- Rape Myths (PDF) - educational research, information, and studies on the profound impact of rape myths
- Lists of Common Rape Myths: [link] (PDF), [link]
- Navigating Consent - informative article on sexual consent
- Understanding Prejudice - a website for people interested in the causes and consequences of prejudice
- Scarleteen - a great, practical, and realistic sex-ed website

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Feminism can mean a lot of things (equal pay for equal work || the fight against: sexism, stereotypes, domestic violence/sexual harassment & violence/gender-based violence, double standards || equal rights & opportunities || freedom of choice, etc), but the unifying factor is that it is based on gender equality.

Enjoy the stamp and wear it proud.


_{• Stamp made by Worldincoffee
• Template by luckylooke
• How to Use Stamps Tutorial
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