Amanda Valenzuela

Sara Watson
April 20, 2016
English Comp 1001

Meninist
Being a young person in todays society, we are surrounded by this new wave of
feminism. Things are changing in our society and I get to be a part of it. As with any
movement, however, there is an opposing side. In this case its a group that calls
themselves the meninists, who seem to believe in not only equality but superiority of
men. Although it started as a mockery name for feminism, it has become a movement
for men and some women who feel victimized by feminism. This new group of people
has made the argument whether or not any opposing side can be justified.
Meninism is a very interesting term because technically, it doesnt exist. Ive
seen it all over Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, but when I actually googled the definition
there was nothing there. The only definition that comes up is from the urban dictionary,
which includes very informal, crass definitions of slang words of today. Their definition
of meninist is: a mockery of feminism and proves that we can't request equality without
white men making everything about themselves. "Oppressed" white guys think that
feminism is a threat to their masculinity. This site includes a bunch of other definitions
of meninists, and its especially interesting because theres no unified meaning. Some
people claim that its simply satire that feminists took too seriously, others say its actual
idiots who think that there needs to be an increase in mens rights. The best

explanation I saw of this was a troll who just wants people to get pissed off. Whether
or not it is a joke however, some people are taking it seriously on both sides .

This comic was posted on the meninist twitter account, with 3 thousand people
retweeting it and 8 thousand liking it. The account itself says in the description
obviously sarcasm but something like this is very obviously making a jab at feminists
for overreacting to everything. Theyre inferring that every little thing can be taken
offensively and the change that needs to happen is in every aspect of society, even
mothers. One of the captions literally points to nothing, which literally spells out the fact

that feminists make issues up that arent there . Another post has reversed a typical
stereotype about men saying did you take a drunk man home and have sex with him?
If so you are now a rapist. Its issues like rape that become an extremely touchy
subject with meninism. Overall meninism is seen as a simply a rude way to joke about
how feminism can go too far. We have to think what feminism is, or what their goal is .
In my opinion I believe equality should be the goal, but apparently each side goes too
far at times. When subjects like rape, and domestic violence get joked about however,
has it gone too far? And when does satire become overly offensive and crossing a
seemingly obvious line.
Another quote from a meninist site states joke about everything or joke about
nothing, theres no in between. This quote is from South Park, one of the most cude
shows on air but it seems quite a few people seriously agree with this joking statement.
It opens up the door for a bunch of touchy subjects even outside of feminism/meninism
issues. A woman's chances of getting raped are 1 in 5, and every year at least
300,000 women are victims in the United States alone . Making light of rape and its
victims doesnt seem like anything even comedians would touch . In my opinion if
comedians dont talk about it then theres probably a reason why, they talk about all the
racy, offensive things in our culture, but ive never listened once to a comedian make a
joke about rape. Theres a line between what's funny and whats offensive and I think
that the issue with meninism is that a lot of the times, there is no line .

A lot of the meninist posts and blogs include memes like the one pictured above .
Taking a stereotype, like a woman in the kitchen or a woman making her husband a
sandwich, and magnify the effects. For example, whoever made this meme is implying
that all women's instincts are to service men, and if presented with the proper tools
theyll be happy to do it. Its crazy to me that the idea a woman belongs in the kitchen is
still an typical thought process is considered ok. Women today are working just as
much as men, and men are very capable of making themselves food or doing other
domestic duties. Another twist in the stereotype has been body issues in the 21st

century. Stop objectifying women; Real women have curves has been a powerful
movement in not just focusing on the size zero women that we see in magazines but
looking at all shapes and sizes and realizing that every-body is beautiful . As a joke,
meninists have said the same phrase but with: real men have curves and other things
like Magic Mike promotes unrealistic expectations for how mens bodies should look . I
dont want to give the meninists a point but this can be a place where the line is blurry.
Although women are overall more objectified than men, it is interesting how its
becoming more popular for plus size women super models but no men plus size super
models. In fact, the first plus size male supermodel just signed a contract, Zach Miko.

People like him, and like Tess Holliday are breaking the mold for what is considered
beautiful. This isnt justifying Meninism or what theyre doing, but it is promoting

equality in that every-body should be treated somewhat the same . There is a faint line
drawn through the meninist argument, that also is the goal of the feminist party as well
and that seems to be equality. Equality is the battle from when time began, maybe well
always be reaching for it in various ways, but equality of the sexes has always been
uneven. I think for equality to be attained in this situation, men cannot directly compare
themselves to women, especially in way of body issues and image. Women have been
over sexualized for as long as media has been alive, and the direct comparison in this
case is seen as offensive.
I dont think meninism is something to be supported but it is fighting an
interesting equality stance, that if one gender is able to do something then why
shouldnt the other? If one gender is getting paid more for the same job then why isnt it
equal? If one gender is getting represented more than why not balance the sexes? I
feel very strongly about this topic because Im a woman and being an active participant
on these social media sites. I dont consider myself a hardcore feminist but i definitely
believe that equality needs to be an automatic right and its not being given at the
moment. Im not one to post the inequality of the sexes all over my Facebook wall, but
if something isnt right then Ill stick up for myself. With meninism, its concerning to me
that there are men out there who believe they are underprivileged . Throughout all
history, white men have always had the upperhand, even now in the 21st century they
are still the most successful, privileged group of people . Meninist isnt a real word, but
rather a word made by self proclaimed assholes who are trying to assert themselves
over feminism. My generation of women has taken a stand on this issue and is
speaking out, thats where a lot of my sources came from because I think its important

to use their voices as the primary stance for this argument. Most of my research
included blog posts and personal opinions, but there were some news sources
explaining how this trend has affected this new wave of feminism. Meninism is an
overall negative connotation, from the view of a meninist who thinks that he's just
standing up for what's right then feminists look like the enemy. In the end, I do believe
were all trying to get across the theme of equality, unfortunately meninists have had a
very forward, offensive way of doing that.

Works Cited

Feeny, Nolan. "This Is What Happens When You Show Off Your 'Meninist' TShirt." Time. Time, 19 Jan. 2015. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
<http://time.com/3673614/meninist-meninism-t-shirts-hashtag/>.

Hogan, Allie. "Why The Meninist Movement Needs To End." The Odyssey. N.p.,
16 July 2015. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

Leaper, Caroline. "So What Exactly Is Meninism And Why Are Women Becoming
Meninists?" Marie Claire. LTD Fashion & Beauty Network, 26 May 2015. Web. 16 Feb.
2016. <

"Meninist." Urban Dictionary. N.p., 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

<http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Meninist&defid=7962331>.

Moss, Caroline. "Men Have Started An Anti-Feminist Movement On Twitter, Are

Calling Themselves 'Meninists'" Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 19 Dec. 2014.

Web. 16 Feb. 2016. <http://www.businessinsider.com/meninist-anti-feminismmovement-2014-12>.