John Legend: All men should be feminists

John Legend, an extremely talented musician, is encouraging feminism for everyone and asking men to care more about women’s rights. Recently Legend stated at a press conference for The Sound of Change Live: “All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights the world will be a better place.” He also said that if women were more empowered, we would have a better society. The Sound of Change Live is a concert to raise funds and awareness for Chime for Change, a charity that focuses on raising money to empower women worldwide. Legend is personally involved with the charity and will be performing alongside Beyonce, Ellie Goulding, Florence and The Machine and many others during The Sound of Change Live. The concert will be held on June 1st in London. I love that more men are speaking out about women’s rights. An article that comes to mind is one we did last month about feminist Sir Patrick Stewart and his call to ‘One Million Men’ to stand up and stop violence against women. When we all work together, we’re so much more powerful. I believe that more men would consider themselves feminists, if it weren’t for the negative misrepresentation of the word. A lot of people believe the feminist movement is about women having power OVER men – but in reality, feminism is just about equality. There are a lot of misconceptions about feminism, which need to be addressed. A great majority of men don’t understand how a patriarchal society is hurting THEM just as much as it hurts women. Women gaining equality to men is good for everyone, and here are some ways feminism can liberate men: Ten Ways Feminism Benefits Men by Gloria Steinem

Through feminism, men are liberated from stereotypes, too.
Women’s skills are required to raise children. But, men have them too.
Men have been shortchanged by being told to marry someone who can cook rather than someone who can be a companion. “I’m sure that men who have been trained essentially to marry their housekeepers were lonely,” Steinem said.
The women’s movement can increase a man’s life by an average of four years. Steinem said that if men were to eliminate causes of death typically attributed to masculine roles, including deaths from violence, speeding and tension-related disease, their life expectancy would almost equal women’s.
Boys can remain close to their mothers.
If men aren’t hooked on dominance and hierarchy with other men, they are saved from the self-loathing that comes from the need for control.
Laughter can once again become commonplace, even in serious rituals.
Men can continue discovering talents, without being divorced from them.
Sex and race are intertwined. You can’t uproot one without the other. “There’s really no such thing as being a feminist without being an antiracist,” she said.
Eliminating the sexual caste system – the cult of femininity and masculinity – eliminates the root cause of almost all violence.

So…it sounds like everyone wins when women are treated equally! I hope that men publicly speaking about women’s rights will encourage more to do the same!

About The Author

Patricia Colli, Editor of Beutiful Magazine, is a human rights activist, equality advocate, and promoter of health, acceptance and wellbeing. Having experienced disordered eating, unhealthy exercise patterns and poor body image, she is especially passionate about shedding light on eating disorders and the power of body acceptance.