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I want to start by saying that I, of course, appreciate men who participate in and advocate for the feminist movement. I like to believe that most men with whom I surround myself are feminists, whether they know it or not. My boyfriend, for example, doesn’t shout the fact that he’s a feminist from the rooftops every day. But, it’s clear to me in the way he treats me and other women that he believes men and women should be treated equally, that he doesn’t want to perpetuate or encourage gender stereotyping, and that he respects women. Funny enough, I think some of the best male feminists are the ones who don’t feel the need to talk that much about the fact that they’re feminists. They just are feminists, and they live that through their actions. Then there is this other group of male feminist: the self-proclaimed male feminist who will take every chance he has to announce that he’s a feminist. I’ve found that these men, in many ways, can be distinctly unfeminist. Here are hypocritical things self-proclaimed male feminists do and say.
Mansplain feminism to women
In the most hypocritical action of all, I’ve had some male feminists mansplain feminism to me. A woman. They’ve taken it upon themselves, in some twisted attempt to prove themselves as the biggest feminists in the room, to tell me why the thing I just did or said isn’t feminist. So, they’re lecturing and talking down to a woman while trying to explain how women should be treated equal to men.
