Beyond misogyny

I don't think "misogyny" is a sufficiently all-encompassing term. I would like to propose a new term to add to our repertoire of epithets, "gynophobia".

I propose this term because there is a group of humans who don't necessarily "hate" women as the "mis-" in "misogyny" implies. Rather, this group tends to view women as something to be avoided or shunned. This group is primarily made up of "feminists" who do everything they can to disavow their femininity. They are afraid, ergo "phobic", of everything pertaining to women, ergo "gyno-".

Compare the modern "feminist" to the only woman I can think of who truly represents what a feminist should be, Mae West. Mae West celebrated her femininity. She did everything she could to accentuate her sexuality. But she also stood on equal ground with the men who surrounded her. She reveled in her promiscuity, even if that promiscuity was exaggerated. She was strong-willed, independent, subservient to no-one. There was no doubt she considered herself the equal of any man. And she attained that status without disavowing her femininity in the slightest.

The only modern example of true feminism I can think of is fictional, the character "Ripley" from the "Aliens" movie franchise. She didn't flaunt her sexuality the way Mae West did. But she did embrace her nurturing "motherhood" side with both the stray child "Newt" and later with the hybrid creature she had to kill. And she embraced that nurturing aspect while still being equal to, even superior to, the men around her.

Gynophobia is just as destructive as misogyny. Gyno- and andro- represent the yin and yang of humanity. We've had thousands of years of dominance of the andro-. Where has that left us? We need women to elevate the gyno-, to celebrate it and restore the balance society is lacking.