Straw feminism is a form of

straw man A straw man (sometimes written as strawman) is a form of argument and an informal fallacy of having the impression of refuting an argument, whereas the real subject of the argument was not addressed or refuted, but instead replaced with a false o ...

argument used by

antifeminist Antifeminism, also spelled anti-feminism, is opposition to some or all forms of feminism. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, antifeminists opposed particular policy proposals for women's rights, such as the right to vote, educat ...

s in which a distorted or fabricated version of

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

is used in an attempt to mock or dismiss feminist arguments. A straw feminist then is a fabricated character that often uses oversimplifications, misrepresentations and stereotypes in order to discredit feminism as a whole. For example, straw feminists are often depicted as promoting incendiary beliefs such as "all men are evil". Media researcher Michele White argues that straw feminism creates a burden for feminists who are constantly expected to refute the straw-feminist position, with the intent of making feminism unpalatable to potential supporters.

References

Opposition to feminism Feminist terminology Fallacies {{Feminism-stub

See also

References