Whenever the topic of feminism is brought to a conversation, there is an odd tension that is brought along with it. There are countless blogs, political figures, social media accounts, and people across the globe that are extremely against feminism. By definition, feminism is the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men. But if the intention of feminism is so pure, why is there such a negative outlook on the topic? Brittany Dunn, a junior at Joliet West, said, “There are some people out there, who take something really good and turn it into something else based on their own needs. Feminism is something so good, everyone who wants equality should be a feminist.”

When students at Joliet West defined what a feminist is. Answers ranged from “angry women who can’t get a husband” to “a person who wants gender equality.” Joliet West junior Arisha Mays spoke about the misconception, saying “I think some feminists take things too far, they do the most. They try so hard to look like they’re fighting for something instead of actually fighting for it.”

But where do the negative connotations come from? Of course there are movies, comedians, politicians, etc. But can the media have that much of an effect on our views? A twitter account under the name of Meninist has over 1 million followers, and their sole purpose is to mock feminists and their movement. Recently, there was a 20 year old woman by the name of Cassidy Boon who uploaded a video speaking about her supposed rape case. In the video, she described that she was on the diving board at a local pool, while practicing she hit her head and was drowning until a 40 year old man saved her. She was unconscious while she was underwater, so therefore she wasn’t able to give consent to the man who saved her. In the video she said she was planning on suing the man for rape, but it turns out she was putting on a comedy sketch to make fun of feminists. People like Cassidy Boon tend to tear down the intentions of feminism, without being fully aware of its benefits.

Although women have equal rights in America, there are many countries around the world that still have not caught up with the standards. In some countries women can’t drive, are not allowed to vote or be represented in court, and countless are victims of acid attacks and torture. Ultimately, feminism fights for the women being oppressed around the world, without feminists women may never have full equality.