‘Feminists hate men, feminism breeds bitter women, feminists want to control men’
These are some of the many distorted perceptions about feminism across different digital platforms. Most of these perceptions are derived from everyday discussion about feminism in society leading to predominantly negative perceptions of feminism in the digital space. Begging the question, why is feminism negatively perceived in an increasingly digital world?
Feminism seeks to address the secondary status ascribed to women in society and the injustice they face because of their biological sex or gender. It advocates for a total transformation of the socio-political, cultural, and economic system to minimize to the barest minimum the discrimination against women. Feminism which is simply the belief in the equality of sexes and a movement for the advancement of women’s rights has been subject to different perceptions. How does a movement with a clear and equality-focused tenet become subject to different perceptions?
The perception of feminism is divided into opposite sides of a spectrum; one side is comprised of individuals who believe firmly in feminism and the other is made up of individuals with a distorted perception of feminism which is either deliberate or non- deliberate. The half with a non-deliberate distorted perception of feminism are still grappling with what the ideology is about. While the other half with a deliberate distorted perception of feminism understand what the movement is about but they do not believe in its tenets, so they resort to delegitimization.
This latter group has a negative perception of feminism resulting in the constant misrepresentation of the ideals of the feminist movement. As a result, the deliberate misrepresentation of feminism both as an ideology and as a movement is seeing growing influence in the society and the digital space. The ‘men in podcast’ syndrome, the incel movement, the patriarchy princes are committed to the delegitimization of the movement through the propagation of a negative perception of feminism. Why is there an increasing negative perception about feminism and feminists in the digital space? Most would argue that feminism seeks to usurp the natural order of gender relations wherein the man is the head of the house, the logical gender, the superior gender while the woman is meant to support the man and follow the leadership of the man.
This perception finds expression in religions, cultures, and traditions often manifesting in patriarchal societal attitudes. As a result, the woman is seen to be less of, treated as inferior, restricted from being heard in the public sphere. So, an ideology that fundamentally challenges this is seen as an affront to the natural order of things. The opposition to feminism is clouded in the concern for women’s safety, and protection to dissuade women from identifying with the movement. However, this need to protect women or safeguard them is not born out of a genuine concern for women but out of the necessity to maintain the patriarchal system of power that benefits men.
Interestingly, it is not only men who have a distorted perception of feminism, some women perceive feminism in a negative light because it contends with their socialization of gender relations. A woman that was raised on the mantra of ‘you exist to support a man’ will find it difficult to grapple with an ideology that challenges this. So negative perceptions of feminism exists in both genders, sometimes, with women being the gatekeepers of patriarchy. A closer examination of some of the most restrictive patriarchal norms reveals that women are often the perpetrators and custodians. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that individuals who have been socialized into a certain paradigm of gender relations will represent this socialization in the digital space. Listening to podcasts that state that ‘feminists are just bitter women’, ‘feminists hate men’, ‘men and women cannot be equal’ exposes the very foundation of socialization of gender relations and ascribed status on the basis of biological sex.
The global reach of the internet and platforms hosted on it make the negative perceptions of feminism dangerous as it threatens the rights that women enjoy due to the feminist movement. The right to political participation, right to bodily autonomy, economic opportunities, sexual and reproductive health and rights, their recognition as equal beings etc. All these are coming under threat due to the increasing anti-perceptions of feminism. It is therefore important for the growing incel community, anti-feminist narrative, and patriarchal men hosting podcasts to be curbed either through critical engagement or education. This will help address the misrepresentation of feminism in the digital space and ensure a proper understanding of what feminism stands for.
For the group with a non-deliberate distorted perception of feminism who are genuinely interested in learning what feminism, there are lots of resources they can engage to understand the central tenet of the movement. Instead of generating negative perceptions of feminism based on the misrepresentation peddled in the digital space, it is important for us to observe everyday gender relations, reflect on what it means for women as equal beings, and consequently reimagine gender relations. This reimagining must start with a recognition and respect for the agency that women embody as independent and equal beings. Only then will there be a paradigm shift in how feminism is perceived in the digital space.
Zainab Monisola Olaitan is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria. She is also a Research Associate at the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation, University of Johannesburg. Zainab is a member of the African Association of Political Science (AAPS), the African Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN) and the Sexual Reproductive Justice Coalition.
