bell hooks

Feminism & Men

For our final blog of the class I want to start a discussion about something I have spent a considerable portion of the semester thinking about and discussing with friends: How do men fit into feminism? One feminist in me wants to say, “Who cares? Feminism isn’t for men.” But another feminist in me knows that it would be negligent not to consider how it affects men, since as a “sex” they are the much-talked-about Oppressors, but also because, feminist or not, I have a father, a boyfriend, male friends, and classmates who I value despite the legacy they were born into. I know (as we all do) that it’s not a simple matter of men (as a class) doing bad things to women (as a class).

So, what do I mean by how men fit into feminism? Well, I mean a lot of things I guess. I mean:

(1) There’s no denying that patriarchy is harmful to women, but I think it can be easily argued that it is harmful for men, too. In what ways is patriarchy “bad” for men?
(2) How does feminism (to put it broadly) affect the modern man? Does it place added pressures on men? Is it liberating for men as well? Can it be argued that it is “bad” for men? Consider things in our culture that react to feminism (the commercials Kevin blogged about, for example).
(3) Is there room for men in feminism? Can men “be” feminists or “advocate feminism”?

I’m not asking, of course, that everyone answer every question, and I’m certainly not suggesting that there is a right or wrong answer to any one question, but in my experience these topics of discussion usually stir up a lot of opinions. After hearing from a lot of people in my life who don’t necessarily have a background in feminist theory, I’d like to hear what you all think.