Does being a male feminist affect the way men approach dating and sex? Allow Matt McGorry to answer -- at least for himself.
On Saturday, "Pitch Perfect" actress Kether Donohue asked McGorry on Twitter whether being a male feminist has changed how he dates. The "Orange Is The New Black" actor admitted the concept was complicated.
Never one to shy away from a public discussion about feminism, McGorry answered the question anyway in a series of 10 tweets.
Though having a nuanced discussion about a complex topic is certainly difficult in 140 characters (even 10 sets of them), McGorry managed to touch on a few important points:
- Being a male feminist means understanding and accepting a woman's sexual decisions -- whatever they might be.
- It also means acknowledging that any individual man or woman (feminist or not), has his or her own set of varied, sexual needs. Desire is complicated for everyone.
- Being a male feminist doesn't automatically make you a "good guy" to date. Even dudes who believe in gender equality can be lousy romantic partners.
- And as McGorry's last tweets suggest, proudly wearing the label of "feminist" doesn't necessarily make you one. (We'd definitely call bullsh*t on anyone who calls him or herself a feminist and proceeds to be violent toward an intimate partner, as would McGorry.) But being a feminist, hopefully, comes along with some sense of how your actions might impact others.
The short takeaway from McGorry's tweets? Basically, dating is a confusing mess for everyone. But being a feminist -- and thinking critically about how to make the world a more equitable place for people of all gender identities, races and backgrounds -- hopefully makes a person think about equality and fairness in his or her personal relationships as well.
Those are some important thoughts about feminists, but what about the meninists? We'll let Matt answer that one, too.
H/T Mic
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