Ryan Gosling feminist memes are the absolute best, said almost every feminist ever. Not only do they make you feel positive when looking at Gosling’s handsome face and uplifting message, but you’re also being part of something bigger, without knowing it.

A recent study conducted by the two students of the University of Saskatchewan explored the effect the widely popular Feminist Ryan Gosling memes (created by Danielle Henderson) had on men. 99 students, 69 women and 30 men, were given the Feminist Ryan Gosling book to explore and later asked whether they considered themselves a feminist. A large number of students, including men, who did not identify themselves as feminists before the experiment, did acknowledge feminist values after having read the book.

Obviously this is a triumph, but it is also proof of the quiet emergence of male feminism. Though the recent meninism Twitter trend took the spotlight for a bit, the real male feminism is slowly growing, appearing in entertainment, not just memes.

Though Ryan Gosling and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have been the faces of male feminism, male feminism hasn’t made much of an appearance on platforms such as film or television. That is changing, however, especially with the recent “Parks and Recreation” and “Portlandia” episodes.

In the recent episode of “Portlandia”, whimsically titled “Doug Becomes a Feminist”, stay-at-home husband Doug identifies himself as a male feminist because his wife Claire is the breadwinner, as opposed to Doug, the male counterpart, who is unemployed. Though Doug is neither helpful financially nor domestically (he still thinks Claire is more equipped to whip up dinner) Doug takes the role of supportive husband strongly, and believes his support breaks the patriarchy Claire has been succumbed too. He meets up with a weekly group meeting for male feminists who share their thoughts on sexism and misogyny. Of course, being “Portlandia”, the episode is parodied to the extreme, delivering lines including “I’m the kind of feminist that has never hired a geisha”, and “When I see a woman on the street, I ask them if they’re a doctor.”

The episode goes on to explore the argument that a man catcalling is either worshipping or degrading, when Doug and his new male feminist friends confronts a man (actually Carrie Brownstein playing a man) who is yelling sexual innuendos at a tadly-clad woman in a movie. The confrontation is over the top but hits home; both sides make valid points, but the viewer leaves the question, what is too much?

“Parks and Recreation’s” recent episode also explored feminism through a male point of view, but in a much more parodied way than “Portlandia.” Leslie is asked by hubby Ben to participate in a pie-making contest, which she declines because of the sexist domesticity it represents. Ben takes her place, and enters the pie-making contest himself. But it’s not until a Men’s Rights Activist group comes into motion, claiming Leslie is demeaning Ben by convincing him to participate instead of her. The white MRA continues to make claims of double standards throughout the episode, shinning light to feminist values and how they play a part in both genders.

Though, arguably, these two popular series are, in a way, mocking feminism, they are poking light fun to the values feminism represents. Without a doubt, though male feminism is being parodied, it is still popping its head in the mainstream, looking left to right, trying to find its place in the world of pop culture.

Like the Ryan Gosling memes, these shows are lightheartedly bringing awareness to a misconception that has been debated these pass months (hence #meninism) and that is, men cannot be feminists. Of course, this is false, but the debate over whether there are such a thing as a male feminism has hardly surfaced the past years. Women are already debating whether they themselves, as women, consider themselves feminists. The idea of male feminism is slowly making its mark in today’s feminist conscious culture.

The countless memes and television parodies are evidence that the male feminist is appearing in the scope of gender issues. The male feminist seems like he will be here to stay, and if television shows such as “Portlandia” and “Parks and Recreation” can accomplish what Gosling memes have, expect more male feminists to emerge.

Image via http://thethousands.com.au.

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