First Wave vs. Third Wave Feminism

Many who are "antifeminists" or simply refuse to label themselves as feminists cite the reason for their opposition as what they perceive as a growing element of misandry in the feminism movement, particularly highlighting examples they find on Tumblr or other forms of social media. There is even a Facebook group titled "Women Against Feminism" who give explanations such as "I can take responsibility for my own actions," and "If I get drunk, have sex, and regret it the next morning, that's not an excuse to cry rape." In some ways this opposition is understandable in the wake of a slimming gap between genders, however the forefront of the feminist movement in the early 1900s was a very different animal. Women were still perceived to be biologically different from men, the more emotional sex, but this was made out by women not to be a disadvantage, but an advantage, in the polls, because they were more in tune with emotional needs. This was their platform when campaigning for suffrage, and for the most part it worked, because even women in the movement were admitting to differences from the male sex. Second wave feminism is what most people think of when they think of feminism, however, and this was when the radicalization caused a backlash that continues to this day. Interestingly enough, though actual bra burnings have never been proven to have occurred, some still cite this rumor and exaggeration as way to make all feminists seem like misandrists. Finally, there is third-wave feminism, which is what we are working with today. This is the age of "riot grrls," of "lipstick feminism," and of a focus on sexual and personal freedoms. A movement against slut-shaming, and victim blaming in cases of sexual assault, and for more women in positions of power. Where is the line drawn, then, between a cause for equality, and plain misandry? The difference is: where one woman is fighting to have the same rights as a man, another is screaming about how women are the superior sex and having fantasies of male genocide