Unfortunately, the term “feminism” has acquired lots of excess (and unwanted) baggage over the years. It comes with a boatload of preconceived notions—irate, non-armpit-shaving, childless manhaters, for instance.
You might be surprised to learn that the actual definition of “feminism” is pretty neutral. Merriam-Webster calls it “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes,” and Dictionary.com says it’s “the advocating of social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.” Yup, no frenzied bra-burning implied there, just a desire for equal rights.
But for better or for worse, the term is much more loaded with negative meaning these days. So much that perhaps it’s doing more harm than good for the movement (although this is still open to debate). What would you rename the fight for gender equality, so that it’s less polarizing?
So far, other visitors have come up with:
- Personism
- Equalism
- Not your mother’s feminism
- Galitarians
- AllRights
- Factivist
- Second Waver
Visit PopNamer.com to vote for your favorites or propose some of your own!
