Feminism Is For Boys, Too.

When you bring a child into the world, your mind swirls with emotion, and awe, and fear, and joy. You dream immediately of the kind of life your child will have. And somewhere in the midst of the love and elation and the dreams there are a few wishes. Wy wishes for my little boy were as follows:

• Please let him be healthy.
• Please let him have a happy life.
• Please let me be a good parent.
• Please let him always feel safe and loved. And also…
• Please let him be tall and strong and bold and athletic.

You don’t really say any of this out loud. In fact, the last part is said quickly in your head as you rush to tick off the superficial qualities that you only care about because society cares. Because you know that possessing these qualities will make his life a little easier… actually, a lot easier. It will afford him more respect and privilege. It will give him a leg up and an advantage on the playing field of life.

Yes, many of these traits were at one time vital to survival. They used to be desirable in searching for a mate who could provide food and protect the family in a world of man against beast. But now? They are just superficial.

Society still cares, though. Society still deems these superficial qualities that boys and men should strive for as important. Society still rewards height with higher pay and more leadership positions. Society and the media still perpetuates the idea of men settling deputes with violence. Society still gives a side eye to the man who takes a different path than the traditional “Honey, I’m home” role.

Our world has evolved. But we, as a whole, are still stuck in Neanderthal times. I think it’s time for us to grow up. I think it’s time to talk about boys and men and feminism.

Because boys are a victim of the same system (culture, mindset, tradition) which denies rights to women and the LGBT community, and tries to strip away their value and their worth. Because underneath the blatant misogyny in this system… boys and men are losing out.

They are being mislead and mistreated. They are being told that they have to be tough, they have to be big, and tall, and strong. They are told their job in life is to have a job. They are being taught that their role in parenting is secondary.

They are boxed into a standard, a stereo type. They are taught to stuff down feelings and squash emotion… unless it’s anger. They are told that to fight is to prove your manliness. To dominate, to be aggressive, to be tough is the epitome of masculinity.

And it’s all bullshit.

It serves no one.

Not the shy little boy who doesn’t want to fight. Not the stay at home dad who wants to raise his children and still be respected by his friends and his community. Not the women who fall in love with, and share a life with, and raise children with these men.

We don’t talk about it much. And it’s understandable. Men make more money than women. They are afforded certain privileges, especially and primarily if they are white straight men. They are almost always the ones in positions of power. But that doesn’t minimize or negate the impact that our culture and society – and in fact most of the whole damn world – has on them.

Society helps shapes their concept of who they should be. It puts undue and unnecessary pressure on them. They are taught to conform, and to look, and act, and feel a certain hyper masculine way. But rarely do we think about how the system affects men. And that is exactly why I think it needs to be said:

Feminism is for boys too.

Beyond #HeForShe. Beyond the battle cry for men to join the movement. Feminism is for boys and men too. To benefit them. To lift the burden they carry from the moment they are photographed in their first “Lil Slugger” outfit.

What if we took these expectations off of boys and just let them grow and evolve organically? No preconceived ideas about who they should be, or how they should play, or how they should feel. What if we decided that whatever lies within them will lead them exactly where they are supposed to be one day? What if we didn’t have to worry about society bumping up against them violently for not adhering to the plan; antagonizing them with jeers of being left out or left behind or left hooked?

What if we took the gender ideals – from what colors boys are allowed to like to what types of activities they are expected to engage in – and threw them out with with the grunts and the knuckle dragging?

What if we stopped expecting or encouraging or allowing boys to settle disputes with violence?

What if we stopped belittling or laughing at tears or emotions when they ripple across a boy’s face?

What if we valued sensitivity in a boy as much as we value a good arm or fast feet?

What if we allowed and encouraged men to talk about and deal with and get help for depression, anxiety, PTSD and any and all emotional and psychological ailments without shaming them or making them feel less than masculine?

What if we took the rape and sexual assault of boys and girls more seriously? What if we took the shame out of it for all victims?

What if we (in the U.S.) gave men paid paternity leave and put changing tables in men’s rooms and treated dads as vital and crucial in their role of parenting as we do moms? What if being a Stay At Home Dad was just another job?

What if we accepted that our boys might not like sports. That they might like to dance or draw or act or write or cook. What if we took the pressure to fit into one lonely little athletic box – that can’t possibly hold all the boys anyway – off their shoulders?

What if it didn’t matter how tall a man was? That his height was as inconsequential as a woman’s thigh gap or lack thereof.

What if we took pressure off of men to be the sole and/or primary breadwinners in a family? What if we accepted and respected that there is no shame in their wife or significant other making more money?

What if we eliminated the false notion that boys are inherently more violent? What if we realized that nurture (by way of a society that expects it of them) has led us to this false belief?

What if we stopped expecting boys and men to dominate women, to rack up the conquests? What if we allowed and encouraged men to focus on the romance and the emotional connection and appreciate true intimacy?

What if we stopped assuming that men are not able to control their lustful urges and must be protected by covering the female body in school or in the science lab or on the street? What if we stopped reducing men to bumbling idiots with no self control? What if we gave boys and men a little more credit?

What if while fighting the good fight for women’s equality and LGBT equality we also acknowledged and focused on how the system affects the mentality of a young boy and consequently shapes the mind of the man? What if we recognized that these very issues that boys deal with as they grow into men are intertwined with the very things that Feminists are trying to achieve?

What if we were all in it together and fought the system together?

What if one thing lead to helping the other and the vicious cycle of misogyny and hyper-masculinity ground to a halt by the refusal of men and women to participate in the perpetuation of an ancient myth for one second longer?

What if it is that simple?

Maybe there’d be a little less anger in this world. A little less confusion. A little less hate. Maybe there’d be a little more understanding. A little more acceptance.

Maybe boys need to be a part of the feminist cause too.

Gretchen Kelly blogs at Drifting Through My Open Mind where she writes about anything that pops into her head; from life lessons, to burning issues that need to be discussed, to parenting conundrums. She occasionally takes a stab at humor. A wanna-be groupie turned suburban mom, she tries to keep life interesting by seeing live music as often as three kids and life responsibilities allow. Somewhere between the daily routines and the ups and the downs, she writes. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.