Today’s commentary was written & voiced by 2025 Phyllis Schlafly Eagles Intern Cecilia Hellmuth (Benedictine 2027).
(Ryan Hite) Today, I’m pleased to turn over the microphone to one of our 2025 summer interns, Cecilia Hellmuth:
(Cecilia Hellmuth) If you’ve talked to anyone recently about dating, you probably heard how bleak it’s become. Understand that the main assault on dating has come from none other than modern feminism. Feminism has created the false narrative that all women are victims. It promotes individualism, criticism of men, and “equality” above all else. Women truly have become victims of their own forced narratives.
Feminism is based on the value of “individualism” — which is a nice way of saying narcissim. Both boys and girls are raised to think only of their own needs, wants, and philosophies, making it difficult to entertain the beliefs and values of another. This culture shift has created stubborn people on both sides, making conversation and compromise almost impossible.
Self-advocacy sounds like something that we want our children to be taught, but it is a guise for criticism. With the ever popular, “wife is always right” mentality, women have become major critics. And it is not that men shouldn’t be able to receive criticism, but it is the sheer amount, and the unwillingness to receive back. This behavior alienates women from their boyfriends and husbands, likely not even aware of their actions, since men have been taught not to push back, fearing the label “misogynist.” We are emasculating men and creating women who feel too comfortable constantly criticizing others.
Feminism has destroyed romanticism. Feminism made men and women equal across the board. Young men are raised to believe that it is ok to split the bill, not open doors, and that it may be better not to buy flowers since that could be seen as disrespectful.
This is all so tragic, as many young men want to pursue a wife and many young women truly desire to be pursued. Modern feminism, however, has taught women to push away men, and men have been taught to take what they’re given. What young girls start to realize is that they truly desire masculine men, who make them feel feminine. They’re told they should find someone who fits their mold, rather than to find compromise and commitment with someone they love.
It’s time we made romance and self-sacrifice great again. Both women AND men in our society would flourish and find the happy, healthy relationships they desire.
(Ryan Hite) Thank you, Cecilia. Phyllis Schlafly wrote often about the destruction of modern feminism, work that you can find at PhyllisSchlafly.com. The fight to save dating, marriage, and traditional families continues! Visit us today and sign up for our emails at PhyllisSchlafly.com and join us next time for the Phyllis Schlafly Report.
This post originally appeared at https://phyllisschlafly.com/family/modern-feminism-ruined-dating/