Recently in social media, the contradicting views between Meninists and Feminists have become popular. In a recent interview, junior TC O’Neal identified as a Meninist.

O’Neal first looked into Meninism on social media. “I became a Meninist because I didn’t agree with Feminist’s views on Twitter and I saw that there was a Meninist Twitter account that I found funny,” he said. “At first I thought of it as more as a joke, but once I really looked into it, I took it more seriously and now I would say I am a Meninist for sure.”

“A Meninist is someone who refuses to put up with the double standards that he believes are presented by some feminists,” O’Neal said. “[A Meninist is] a man that stands up for what he believes in and doesn’t like to be told what he can or can’t do by women.”

“I believe that Feminist’s complain constantly about pointless stuff that is often irrelevant to the topic that is being discussed,” O’Neal said. “They always complain about the wage gap that exists even though there are bigger problems that America is facing such as poverty, global warming and keeping our country safe from global threats like ISIS. I don’t believe that feminism should be a main priority for America right now,” he said.

When asked who influenced him to become a Meninist, O’Neal said, “Jesus influenced me to become a Meninist because he stood up for what he believed in and didn’t change his views even though he had unpopular ideas. In Biblical times, women didn’t even work and men played bigger roles in society and took on most of the responsibilities.”
O’Neal also mentioned, “Men and women have different roles in society and that’s the way that it has always been. Men have always had the role of providing for the family and a woman’s role has been to stay home and take care of the family.”

Lauren Wagner, a junior at Columbus East High School, identifies as a feminist. To Wagner, feminism is the belief in the equality of all genders, not only about the empowerment of women.

“Many of the damaging stereotypes that hurt women also hurt men,” Wagner said. “Those who claim that feminists don’t care about men do not know what feminists are fighting for.”

Wagner has always been a feminist, but just recently put a label on it. She always believed in equality and found herself to be an openminded person, partly because of her home life.

“I grew up in a home that was free from hatred for anyone, but I got into political activism on my own terms,” Wagner said.

When growing up, Wagner was raised to challenge the norm and ask questions. However, her own struggles pushed her to try to get as involved as she could. There was never one big event that opened her eyes, but rather subtle differences in the way she was treated.

“I had a certain male friend who once told me that I looked better when I dressed modestly,” Wagner said. “Although he meant it to be a compliment, it is something that has stuck with me as an example of how everyday conversations can have underlying misogynistic tones, even from people who love you.”

Recently, feminists have been challenged by meninists, a group that gained popularity through Twitter. The two groups constantly clash, each one believing certain ideas that seem to contradict each other.

“I would be supportive of meninism if it was a group of people who were trying to fix men’s issues like violence towards trans and gay men and expectations of stoic masculinity,” Wagner said. “But meninism seems to be a group that is mad that women are finally getting the rights and recognition that they deserve.”