The real definition of the word “feminism” is widely disputed throughout the world. I think that this word can mean different things to each person as they try to find out how to apply it in their life. Although, I believe that society has formed two different definitions, of which most people fall into one of them. One of the established definitions is feminism is the belief that women should become the superior gender and grow in power. The other being that feminism is the belief that women and men should be equal. I think that the first one has been formed and shaped by society once people started needing a word to describe someone who is of this manner, so it just became part of feminism. It is easy for people to be blindly loyal to one definition but that will eventually affect how they react to other’s beliefs, whether that be negatively or positively. So, it is important for people to be able to hear the other side’s beliefs. Through exploring both sides, I believe I will come to a fuller understanding and be able to see what both sides have in common and how they differ.

The radical side of feminism has several different notions about feminism. In their opinion, feminism is the belief that women should be superior to men. Some even believe that it includes the idea that male power should be destroyed, leaving females to rise up in the social hierarchy. In fact, The Odyssey Online states, “Moreover, some “feminists” are misandrists in thinly veiled disguise.” A misandrist is a person who has a keen dislike for, or has a strong prejudice against, the male gender. Some feminists are more radical than others and I would say that this definition of feminism is definitely more radical compared to the my side’s definition, seeing that they believe in the superiority of the female gender over the male. From this definition, the words “feminist” and “feminism” have gained a negative connotation. In a poll, The Odyssey Online gathered the opinions of both men and women on whether feminism was good or bad for men and women. The result of the poll was that 25% of people said feminism was good for men and women and 75% said it was bad for men and women. “One of the reasons people said no was because you are immediately creating a divide that separates the genders,” says Alyssa M. Ochss. What I interpreted by this poll is that the majority of people believe that feminism creates a rift in the two genders. I can infer that most people who have this opinion also agree that feminism is the superiority of women over men.

My belief is that the definition of feminism is, plainly, the opinion that both genders should be equal. For example, the belief that women and men should receive equal pay. I think that the definition of feminism is, also, the independence and support of women, since typically in society, they are less than men. This belief, contrary to the previous, is not making women higher than men, rather equal. By “higher”, I mean more in power, or having an increasingly important reputation. By “lower” I mean that in society, they are considered less than in power, or less important. Another example of what feminists of this opinion might believe in is that women are not fragile and that they can be as strong as men if they want to, both physically and mentally. Another part of the definition of feminism according to this side is “the removal of masculine societal restrictions including stoic strength, lack of emotion…” says The Odyssey Online. What this is trying to say is that not only women have to change but also men. The stereotype that the man is the physically and emotionally stronger gender should be ostracized so that this image can be equally feminine as well as masculine.

Women empowerment. A strong, yet vague term with multiple interpretations. When it comes to how to define feminism, both sides can agree that women empowerment plays a large role. If you think of it as a sort of “idea map”, the term “feminism” would go at the top, followed by the word “women empowerment” below, then below that, separating into the two sides. This goes to show that women empowerment is an underlying value of both feminist sides, they both just interpret it differently. The radical view sees it as the overpowerment of the female gender and the destruction of male power, while the other side sees it as the independence of women and the equality of both genders. I can understand the opposing view and its main points because the people who believe in that definition are people who want change. Go-getters. Achievers. Rights activists. People who don’t like how society is functioning. And, once you think about it, that is who all feminists are, no matter what they believe. In fact, the two sides that I’m discussing today are not all that different in their overarching views except that the opposing side has a more extremist view.

I think that the radical side can really find a common ground with my side if they tried to honor it rather than find fault with it. If they start thinking about what both sides have in common, and remember that feminism is a single word, they should be able to agree with them in certain areas. For example, I hope that radical feminists can remember why this word was used in society in the first place. It was because of, simply, the inequality of the two genders. Men were being paid more, treated better, and could express their opinion easier. For that reason, a group of people came along, demanding a change. Feminists. And whether people see that as a negative or positive term, that’s who they are, and just because every single person sees a word differently does not mean they can’t sympathize with each other.

Now, in what scenario could both sides come together and benefit from each other’s points of view? On the internet, it seems as though feminists of all kinds are constantly arguing over and what feminism really means, but as people come together to remember why feminism is a thing and what feminists are fighting for, such as during women’s marches, they can come together to benefit from the opposite side. For example, my side could probably benefit from the other side in knowing that their main goal is to seek independence of females and they are not in any way trying to go against this. The opposite side could benefit in knowing that my side also encourages the power of women even if it is done more conservatively. In this way, both sides could fight for women empowerment together instead of battling against each other.