We asked male feminists about the biggest issues the movement faces

Because we all have to face them together


The place of men within the feminist movement has been a widely debated topic over the history of feminism, changing just a short while ago during Emma Watson’s speech at the UN to launch the “He for She” movement. The new trend within the movement itself is rooted in one word – equality.

It’s clear to the majority of feminists that women can and should be able to do whatever they want. It is also clear to the majority of feminists that this will become a reality much sooner if the movement utilizes its allies. Throughout history, some of the more ground-breaking work for social movements has been made possible by allies. Male feminists have a role to play in the direction the movement is moving towards.

So what exactly is feminism today? It’s an ever-changing world that has shifted greatly over the courses of each wave of the movement. The definition ebbs and flows depending on what challenges women at the time find most pressing.

I decided to ask a handful of men who identify as feminists what they think feminism is really based on what challenges the movement faces in today’s cultural climate:

Christopher Todd, 22 – “It is all about people seeing each other as just that – people”

“Being a feminist means recognizing that someone’s gender or sex neither determines nor heightens or lessens one’s worth. It means accepting the inherent differences between the sexes and embracing the value each contributes to society. It means seeing people not as a man, woman, transgender, etc., but as a person with innate significance.”

Connor Henderson, 22, thinks feminism should be all about working towards fairness

“I subscribe to a relatively normative definition of ‘feminist,’ meaning ‘one who advocates for the social, economic, and political advancement of women and females.’ I clarify ‘women’ and ‘females’ to distinguish between gender identity and sex assignment at birth, respectively.

“So, I suppose being a feminist for me means acting upon a larger responsibility I feel to create fairness in many ways where it doesn’t already exist.”

Ryan Kelley prefers the simplified definition Beyonce proclaims, and to be fair, haven’t we all decided her word is law?


“Equality of sexes; socially, politically and economically. That’s feminism.”

Isn’t that what they’re all arguing anyways – that fairness shouldn’t be determined by one’s sex? This wasn’t always the definition of feminism though. Throughout each of the three waves of the movement, the word itself changed in accepted meaning and tone. At one point it was a plea to keep what was rightfully theirs. At another it was an outcry that a woman should be more than her ability to produce children. The word adapts to the time and morphs into what the movement needs. These changes correspond to the biggest challenges feminism faces at the time.

According to Todd, the word’s history in and of itself may be the great threat

“I think there’s a lot of stigma around the word ‘feminism’ that makes people hesitate when associating with it. It carries baggage from the first few waves of feminism, which some people see as violent or aggressive, which is an inaccurate portrayal of what I see as feminism today. That might be the biggest challenge – it can act as a barrier for people who might otherwise support it.”

Henderson thinks the problems will be more geared around intersectionality of social movements

“Some feminists have a hard time accepting transgender women as women (admittedly, such naysayers tend to be older in my experience). Their lack of acceptance is a mistake. While some transgender women’s experiences may not perfectly align with those of their cisgender women counterparts, transgender women experience patriarchal punishment in similar and, at some times, harsher ways compared with cisgender women. All feminists should strive to center transgender women in their advocacy.”

Kelley finds the movement’s weakness would be the failure to educate and recognize itself

“Ignorance. Fear. Uncertainty. Misunderstood. Well I think feminism is heading from a much less radical, bra-burning mentality, to more traditional way social and political movement. You see it in media about pay equality and gender equality, and that’s much more viable and understandable for a lot of America and the world. I think we will see a woman in the White House in the next few months. I think on an entertainment level you’ll see more female driven films. I think that worldwide women AND men are rising up and fighting for equality.”