Feminism. To the right wing, it is one of the scariest words out there. No one likes a feminist. The character of the feminist, according to those who do not like feminism is this:

If you lived through the “Anti-SJW Era” of YouTube (as well as the “Atheist Era”), which would be 2013-2019 (the Atheist Era gained notoriety around 2010), you might know the red-haired woman above as “Big Red.”

You see, the era I am referring to was around the same time as “Gamergate” (you know, the misogynistic hate campaign about “ethics in gaming journalism”) and there was a big backlash against feminism and progressivism in gaming culture. This also would lead to the acceleration of Inceldom and the “manosphere.”

The Anti-SJW Era

An “SJW” is chat speak for a “social justice warrior” and they were often the punching bags online by the likes of Shoe0nHead, Sargon of Akkad, and Blaire White. One of the most famous harassment campaigns was against Anita Sarkeesian. Now, at this time, I was about 18-19 and wrote a scathing review of Ms. Sarkeesian’s work because I was a bit of an angry edgy Atheist at the time. And being in that circle I was consuming the type of media by the spareheads of this movement (namely The Amazing Atheist and Andy Warski).

It was during this time that the memes “Pepe the Frog,” “Kekistan,” “Hugh Mungus,” and the aforementioned “Big Red” became popular in the right-wing circles and where the right-leaning commentators would brand feminists as fat women with unnatural hair colors.

“Big Red” is actually named Chanty Binx. She would be doxxed and receive death threats. For being the kind of woman who tells men to shut up while she was talking. Was she rude? Sure. Did she raise her voice? Yes. After the time she was recorded and forced off the internet, she was featured in The Red Pill, a documentary about the men’s rights movement.

The Skeptics

No, I am not referring to skeptics of feminism. I mean, I kind of am. But this is about “the skeptic community.” These are the people who were popular for anti-SJW content and would later follow the pipeline to the alt-right and become big in the right-wing influencer sphere. These people would be Sargon of Akkad, who would go on to run for the UK Independence Party for the South West England constituency in 2019.

You see, Sargon was one of Anita’s biggest detractors and absolutely loves a good conspiracy. Say, like the one about gaming being “co-opted by feminists to become a think tank by with gender ideologues can disseminate their ideology to the gaming press and ultimately to gamers.” I think he just took a look at a bunch of buzzwords and slapped them at a wall to see what would stick. Mr. Sargon has been banned from Patreon for violating the sites ToS on hate speech for “using racial and homophobic slurs to degrade another individual.” And this is because Sargon published a video where he stated members of the alt-right were “acting like white *N-words*.” Classy. And that “white people are meant to be polite and respectful to one another.” Sure, Jan.

Oh, and let us not forget that he said that the N-word is not as offensive in Britain as it is in the US. He’s wrong. 186,000 complaints to the BBC prove that.

What exactly is “feminism?”

Per the Oxford dictionary: “Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.”

I personally prefer the Merriam-Webster definition as it is more inline with the actual philosophy of feminism: “A belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.”

Feminism, today, is more egalitarian than when it had its first wave in the 19yh and 20th centuries. It was mostly focused on legal issues, like women’s suffrage. The term was cvoined by Martha Lear in a New York Times article in 1968.

The second wave was during the 1960a and was about two decades long. This was about the women’s role in the world – along with the sexual revolution where birth control pills were more widely available. It called for equality in the work place, sexuality, and reproductive rights. It focused on critiquing patriarchal hierarchies and male-dominance in institutions like the workplace, think how women were treated on the show Mad Men.

The second wave also brought up domestic violence and divorce as well as marital rape and custody law. However, there was an issue with the second wave. It was mostly comandeered by white women, tipucally in middle or upper class. While women of color did do a lot of the leg work and founded feminist groups, they did not get much of the spotlight.

Third wave feminist rose in the 90s. This is where you see the intersectionality of transwomen, women of color and white women working towards their needs. It also promoted sex positivity. The foundations can be traced to Ms. Anita Hill’s televised testimony in 1991. She testified under oath to an all-white all-male judiciary committee that now Judge Calrence Thomas sexually harassed her.

Intersectionality was introduced by Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989 as the idea that women experience “layers of oppression” cause by gender, class and race. The third wave is also accredited to the rise of riot grrrl punk culture. It combined the punk lifestyle with feminism.

Currently, we are in what is considered the fourth wave of feminism, which has the focus on empowerment of women, use of the internet and intersectionality. It seeks to have a greater gender equality by the focus of gender norms and the marginalization of women. It also has grown to be more egalitarian through including the LGBT+ communities and people of color – as well as advocates and allies for increased societal participation and power. Fouth wave femionism advocates for the equal outcomes regardless of sex and challenges the traditional gender roles for men and women.

Roe Roe Roe Your Boat

With the overturn of Roe v Wade in 2022, we are seeing now more than ever that the men in power – especially the right-wing men in power – are looking to make women second-class citizens again.

This is being shown in various executive orders signed by the current US president, Donald Trump. The EO “DEFENDING WOMEN FROM GENDER IDEOLOGY EXTREMISM AND RESTORING BIOLOGICAL TRUTH TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT” signed on 20 Jan 2025, shows this. As I mentioned the current wave of feminism is including intersectionality and the LGBT+ into it as it is important to make sure there is an obvious divide of gender and sex. It is referenced in the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual 5-TR (DSM-5-TR) and among sociologists.

Gender has always been different from sex, even in ancient times where priests would often be a third gender – neither male nor female, nonbinary, as one may say – and would often partake in ritual sex. A woman’s body cannot pass it naturally. There are 8 states currently wanting to pass this law – South Carolina, Oklahoma (of course), North Dakota, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Texas, and Indiana. It would mark abortion as homicide, and in these states the penalty for homicide is death.

Just a little fun fact – most of these states do not include exemptions for incest or rape. So if a child is raped by their family member and become pregnant, they will be forced to have that child. Or if someone is raped, they will be forced to have their rapist’s baby. That seems a little dark, after all, it would be a traumatic incident that would further traumatize the survivor. But the people introducing these bills don’t care about mental health – or children for that matter.

Toxic Masculinity

What is toxic masculinity? Simply put, it is the academic and media phrase that refers to the aspects of masculinity that are socially destructive. These include misogyny, homophobia and violent domination. The traits are toxic due to their promotion of violence (often against women).

The phrase “boys will be boys” and “he bullies you because he likes you,” are phrases that are often used in regards to toxic masculinity. The over-emphasis on emotional repression has been correlated to psychological patterns such as depression, increased stress, and substance abuse disorders.

These traits also encourage men to appear tough and can create barriers that may stun communication, often leading to unhealthy relationships with loved ones.

These toxic traits also reinforce gender inequality bu promoting that men need to be dominate in social, economic and political spaces. This undermines the deminist efforts to achieve genre equality.

The objectification of women is also a common trait when it comes to toxic masculinity as well. After all, it can lead to harassment, violence or being dismissive towards women in places where men are the dominate figures.

How do we fix that?

Devleoping emotional awareness is a good way to start. It involves recognizing and expressing emotions like sadness and vulnerability – not just anger or detachment. One good way is through expanding the vocabulary of how to describe emotions to break the pattern of bottling up. Often in therapy, Emotion Wheels are used to do this.

Challenging the stereotypes that are used to define a “man” also helps. Asking yourself if you actually align with the idea that “real men don’t cry” or “the man must be the dominant in the household.” After all, introspection on the matters help with solidifying who you are and what you believe in.

Another way of challenging these stereotypes is by diversifying the hobbies you partake in. Anything that is traditionally “feminine” doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy it. It expands your horizons and gives you a new perspective to see things from.

Practicing active listening and empathy is a great way to learn how to encourage healthy relationships. Fostering your relationships on respect and communication rather than who needs to be the dominant one in a conversation also helps. Active listening is hearing what another person says and being able to say it back to them in a way that helps you understand.

Supporting other men in squashing toxic masculinity is a great way to combat it. Encouraging your bros to express their emotions and calling out harmful behavior, even casually, needs to happen. If you let an aggressive sexist in your house, you’re excusing their behavior and it will look like you agree with it – even if you don’t.

You don’t have to reject masculinity, it is about redefining it in a way that encourages strength through compassion and resilience. Leading with empathy can help you do this and make it easier to combat.

Where do we go?

Feminism has evolved through multiple waves, each addressing different aspects of gender inequality, from suffrage and workplace rights to intersectionality and the fight against toxic masculinity. Today, feminism seeks not only to empower women but also to challenge societal norms that restrict people of all genders.

As we move forward, it is essential to continue advocating for equality, questioning outdated stereotypes, and fostering a culture of respect and inclusivity. The progress made so far is significant, but the journey is far from over. The question remains: How can each of us contribute to a more just and equal society?