Shouting ‘Misandry!’ in Response to Feminism Is Not the Gag You Think It Is.

You Just Look Foolish.

Maraji recently popped up on TikTok to declare that TikTok feminists are “crazy,” “wicked,” and that they “hate men.” According to her, feminism is supposed to be soft, not aggressive. But here’s the thing: shouting “misandry” every time a woman pushes back isn’t a clever clapback, it’s a misreading, a deflection, and honestly, it just makes you look foolish.

Let’s get this straight: misandry and feminism are not the same thing. Misandry is hatred toward men, and yes, it exists in pockets online and offline, but it’s rarely a systemic threat. Feminism, on the other hand, is about equality, dismantling structural misogyny, and giving women agency in a society that has historically devalued and endangered them. Complaints about “misandry” are often just people getting uncomfortable with women asserting themselves, not evidence that men are under siege.

Misandry, as an individual or collective prejudice, lacks the institutional backing, historical precedent, and legal power to create systemic oppression. Men hold the majority of power in global government, law enforcement, corporate leadership, and religious institutions. Therefore, while a woman may harbor hatred toward men, she cannot deploy that hatred through the police force, the judiciary, or national legislation the way misogyny is often codified and enforced by the state. Misandry is a critique of the powerful; misogyny is the defense of that power. Case in point: Senator Natasha Akpoti, after accusing the Senate President of sexual harassment, was suspended by the Nigerian Senate. The leadership claims the suspension was for misconduct, but critics argue it was punishment for speaking up. That’s what systemic misogyny looks like, institutions acting against women, not men.

Maraji, in her word vomit, calls for a ‘gentle’ approach to feminism, in a world where an all-girls school in Kebbi was attacked and students kidnapped recently, and where the Chibok girls were abducted a decade ago, where the northern government recently forced underage female orphans into mass marriages, where Ochanya was murdered due to VVF complications after sexual abuse by her own uncle and cousin, and where femicide and rape rates remain alarmingly high. Yet she wants ‘soft’ feminism? Even the gentle feminism of the past was bastardized. Back when Chimamanda was the face of Nigerian feminism, she was called all sorts; people would proudly call themselves ‘daughters of Chimamanda’ as an act of rebellion. And honestly, that leaves you wondering, what is Maraji even talking about?

People love to scream ‘misandry’ every time a woman pushes back online, but show me the evidence. Show me a man murdered solely because a woman hates him, or attacked just because she holds prejudice against men. You won’t find it, because it almost never happens. The closest I’ve seen was a tragic case online: Misandrists on Twitter accused a young man of being a rapist, he was set up, and he ended up taking his own life because he couldn’t bear the humiliation. Horrible, yes. But now compare that to the multiple, real-life cases of women being murdered like it’s nothing, femicide, domestic killings, and mass atrocities happen constantly. The difference isn’t just scale; it’s systemic. Misandry might hurt feelings or reputations; misogyny kills, terrorizes, and controls women’s lives.

So here’s the truth: 2025 is not the time to conflate feminism and misandry. Misandry is a subset, not the whole movement. Painting the entirety of feminism as extreme only undermines the goals of both concepts. Feminism fights for equality; misandry, when it exists, is reactive or performative, it doesn’t oppress men systemically. Quite frankly, I feel misandrists are still male-centered and not necessarily interested in the concept of feminism.

Stop putting feminism and misandry in the same basket. One fights for equality; the other is an excuse to derail it. You know exactly what you’re doing when you make that conflation, and it’s not cute.