Feminism: when do we cross the line?

It’s one of the most important discussions in our society today. So, where does one draw the line between feminism and sexism towards men?

Photo: @feminist's Instagram.

For so long, females have been discriminated against in the workplace, in the home and in politics. Female equality has been an important social reform movement since the early 20th century and the battle against sexism will continue in the coming decades, especially in developing countries. However, where does one draw the line between feminism and sexism towards men?

To my understanding, feminism strives for the equality of both sexes. Historically, the feminist movement put a great deal of effort into uplifting women because their freedom had been compromised and restricted in past centuries. However, if the purpose behind feminism truly lies in the elimination of sexism and the establishment of gender equality, feminists theoretically believe in the uplifting of men in situations where they are discriminated against as well, right?

A friend of mine recently sent me the following cover page of a magazine detailing the wage discrepancies in the American entertainment industry, asking me what I thought about the title.

The cover is aimed at celebrating the accomplishments of female actresses and the recent study confirmed that their films earn more than movies starring men. However, the post is what concerns me. The magazine cover highlights inequality in the box office sales between male and female-led films in the American movie industry from 2014-2017. Then, the post suggests that she appreciates seeing headlines similar to that one. I wondered, would this be considered sexism? To fully understand this, we must put it into perspective.

Let’s say that the title of this cover had been slightly different. Assume that the words “female” and “men” had been changed to “male” and “women” respectively, showing how male-led movies had earned more than female-led ones. Change the picture behind the title to one of several male actors standing

arm in arm and have the reaction to the headline remain the same, and the post would essentially be celebrating male-led films making more money than those led by women.
​
Would this be sexism? When I flipped the sexes in this context, I immediately thought it qualified as gender discrimination. There was no real social controversy over this post or this title; however, I feel that if the study had reported that male-led films earned more at the box office than those of female-led ones, and a man wrote that he loved seeing this headline, audiences would be outraged.

While some may define this reported fact as a feminist “victory,” I would argue that it does not meet the true definition of feminism. If the philosophy of feminism actually promotes the equality of both genders, then theoretically, celebrating the results of this report does not support that sentiment.
This year, I hope we can keep the true purpose of feminism clear. Feminism is an important movement that has battled beliefs of the superiority of men over women, but feminism should not support the precedence of women over men either. Gender discrimination works against men and women, and in the current political climate, it is sometimes difficult to remember that.