Opinion: Normalized Antifeminism

When it comes to people like Taylor Swift, people are bound to have varying opinions about her. But those who hate on anyone who enjoys her music are doing more than expressing their opinions — they’re attempting to normalize anti-feminism and market it as freedom of expression. 

I once was asked to name my favorite artist in front of a classroom. Panicking, I realized I enjoyed a lot of music by different artists and didn’t have a particular favorite at first. Then, I remembered just how many of Taylor Swift’s songs I enjoyed and said her name. Immediately, I was harassed by some of the boys in my class: “If you like her music, you’re actually so basic.” 

Rather than just expressing their opinion of her, they also expressed an opinion of me for liking her. When the boys ridiculed me, some of the girls began to laugh with them. 

In that classroom, my peers and I were taught that publicly expressing a liking for something feminist would get you laughed at. 

A similar situation happened back in middle school, when I was asked to name my favorite movie. I said Captain Marvel, from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I was immediately judged by my teacher, who began to laugh at me. The rest of the class followed, and I ducked my head in embarrassment.

Any time after that, I would lie about my favorite movie to avoid the classic “Of course you would like that movie”. If my teacher didn’t like the movie, that’s okay; he didn’t have to. But for him to shame me out of liking it is disgusting and does nothing more than tear down women. 

The same concept applies to the Barbie movie – while most people loved it, some found it superficial and unrealistic. 

And that’s okay; it’s their opinion. 

But when people go out of their way to shame anyone who did enjoy the movie, it’s more likely because they feel threatened by its message than anything else.