Opinion

Opinion: Misogyny and the Word Feminist

Editor’s Note: Any opinions expressed in City Voice articles are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of the City Voice.

You’ve probably heard of feminism and misogyny before. These terms are thrown around all the time online, but what do they really mean? And with relation to each other, can you not be a feminist without being a misogynist? 

I was inspired to write this article a couple days ago when I saw a video of a woman online saying “I’m not a feminist, sue me.” This was also inspired by the trend of saying “I’m not a feminist, I can….” This infuriated me, as feminism is the reason these women can voice their opinions at all—so let’s talk about it.

Defining Feminism & Misogyny

Merriam Webster defines feminism as the belief in equality of the sexes. To be feminist, you don’t have to explicitly express it, you just have to believe in the concept of equality for the two sexes. 

Now, let’s look at misogyny.

Misogyny is defined by Merriam Webster as prejudice against women. This means any belief that a woman is less than a man is misogynistic in nature.

Therefore, if you don’t believe that women should be equal to men, then you believe that women are lesser than men. Meaning, if you are not a feminist, you are a misogynist. If you truly “weren’t feminist” then you would agree that you don’t have the right to voice your opinion or label yourself, like men do.

Why does this matter?

This matters because these terms online are being thrown around without actually considering what they mean. This can lead to harmful ideas, such as the misconception that if you are a feminist, then you hate men. Ideas such as these are the reason men are hesitant to call themselves feminists. Additionally, I’ve seen personally online that even women have said themselves that they are not feminists, unknowing of the true definition of feminism, which can cause so much more stigma around the subject and painting feminism as if it is a negative thing. It is not, it is simply standing for women as they have been previously oppressed. 

Now, more than ever, it is so, so important to support women—to be feminist. As of 2025, the UN says it will still take $360 billion dollars a year to close the gender gap globally, even though we have been said to have worked on gender equality in the workplace since the 1900’s. In some countries, 1 in 5 school aged girls have their education cut off due to young arranged marriages, and that is just one statistic about unequal education. Not to mention all the violence women have suffered. Just last year, 1 in 8 women ages 15-49 faced violence from their own partner.

Even thinking about everything women have already accomplished, such as the right to vote, highlights the truth of gender inequality. All men, in the United States, regardless of race or property status, could vote as of the 15th amendment in 1870. All women, however, only got the right to vote half a century later, in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th amendment. 

This is why it is crucial to support women— especially in this modern era. People are undoing the work that previous generations of women have fought for, all because they think feminism is some trend that they can drop when convenient. The truth is, feminism is the reason why women get the opportunity to voice their opinions, it is the reason I am able to write this article right now. 

Hopefully, after hearing what I had to say, you would call yourself a feminist. Any decent person would, since if you aren’t, you are labelling yourself as a misogynist while simultaneously undoing decades of hard work.

Sources and Further Reading

JANICE CUI
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