“I am a feminist, a proud and an active one at that. I will be the loudest clapper and whooper there is when a woman achieves something that she has worked for and deserves. I will stand up when a woman is face to face with misogynistic behavior or is subject to discrimination because of her sex simply because it is the right thing to do but women are not infallible. We are helping no one, especially not ourselves, if we keep kidding ourselves that we are.
Toxic Femininity 101, Definition- Cultural norms influence the way individuals/ groups act which can be harmful to the rest of society as well as women themselves. * DISCLAIMER * It’s not exactly the same as Toxic Masculinity. Women have not traditionally been forced into socially dominant roles. Toxic behavior and cultural norms manifest in different ways.
1. It’s not ‘unfeminist’ to criticize other women for their views. We all have different beliefs, likes, and dislikes and that’s alright.
2. But it is ‘unfeminist’ if you are criticizing HER. There is no need to comment on a woman’s physical appearance; what she wears and what she looks like. It’s not just a case of feminism but about being a good human.
Toxic Femininity is just as much about the way we treat and perceive each other as it is about blindly agreeing with what women say just because of their gender.
The one thing Toxic Femininity isn’t: A platform for misogynists. It is not an excuse nor an opportunity to criticize female behavior. It is simply for us to be more aware of our own.
I’ve decided to limit this discussion on Toxic Femininity to these strict general areas because I could honestly talk about it all day. As a society, so much of our toxic behavior is normalized and it is not until we take a step back as human beings do we actually realize the harm that we are doing to each other and ourselves.
So, if you learn anything today, let it be that and in our own little way, we will be changing the world- one blog post at a time.”
medium.com, The Feminist Guide to Toxic Femininity, Becca Carey.