Terry Crews Has Advice For Men Who Aren't Feminists | HuffPost Life

Terry Crews Has Some Perfect Advice For Men Who Aren't Feminists

Ryan Barrell— The Huffington Post UK

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Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Actor Terry Crews attends the 2014 GQ Gentlemen's Ball at IAC HQ on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' star Terry Crews has spoken out against "hyper-masculinity", offering men a piece of advice if they want to be feminists: you have to kill your own pride.

"You’ve been taught that pride is a manly thing, that pride is a good thing," he told Dame Magazine.

"But the problem with pride is that it stops you from growth. When you’re so proud that you won’t change, you’ve got problems. Male pride causes wars; millions of people have died because of male pride, because one man would not back down."

He added: "When you kill that pride, instantly, you become a better person, because now you’re listening. Now you don’t know it all. Now you’re humble. Now you can grow and get smarter."

Crews with wife Rebecca King-Crews

Crews has been married for 15 years, and has four daughters and one son. He says living with five women for so long has made him aware of the need for feminism.

"I did some serious thinking about the world that they’re coming up in," he said.

"I want my girls to have every opportunity to do whatever they want. When I see the world and the way people are treated, I see so many domination and control issues.

"And some people have just bought into them - they see it as: 'I’m on the bottom, and you’re on the top, and that’s just the way it is.' The truth is, everyone is equal and valuable, and everyone is necessary, but there tends to be a dismissal of certain groups."

Crews with his wife and daughters Tara, Naomi and Asreal

Crews is an actor, author, former American football player and bodybuilder currently starring in E4 show 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'.

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Great Moments For Feminism In 2014

Social Media(01 of13)

If there's one thing Twitter has shown us this year, it's that there's power in numbers. Over and over again, women came together online to join virtual hands in solidarity, whether it was #BeenRapedNeverReported following the Jian Ghomeshi scandal, #YesAllWomen following horrifying shootings in California, or #takedownjulienblanc to prevent "pick-up artist" Julien Blanc from speaking in countries across the globe. And though many of these issues had a decided focus on women, it was heartening to see men also join in on the conversation.

Malala Yousafzai's Nobel Peace Prize(02 of13)

Not only is Malala Yousafzai the youngest person to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize (which she shared with fellow children's rights advocate Kailash Satyarthi), the 17 year old is fighting specifically for the opportunity for girls to get an equal education to boys. (credit:AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

A Feminist In Power(03 of13)

Kathleen Wynne was elected premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, in a majority win in June, but to us, her best moment came only weeks ago in a speech at the Women of Influence conference. Among her many unapologetically feminist remarks was this:

"By making the assumption that women had no influence over the founding of this country, we are taught that the influence of women only grows as we assume the rights and privileges that were once the exclusive domain of men. As women take on the roles, titles and powers that belonged to men alone, the influence of women continues to grow until, one day, we will be equal." Read the speech in full here.

(credit:Colin McConnell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Girls Playing With Boys(04 of13)

Mo'ne Davis became the first female pitcher in Little League World Series history to pitch a complete-game shutout — and in Canada, Team Canada goalie Shannon Szabados signed on for a full year with men's team Columbus Cottonmouths, and bobsledder (and athlete of the year) Kaillie Humphries will be one of the first women competing alongside men on the World Cup circuit this season. (credit:AP Photo/Kyle Terada, Pool)

Emma Watson Talks Feminism For Everyone(05 of13)

When UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson stood up in front of the United Nations to launch HeForShe campaign, she made a point to discuss when men advocate as feminists, everyone can benefit. (credit:Eduardo Munoz Alvarez via Getty Images)

Standing Up For Justice(06 of13)

Rinelle Harper, a 16-year-old Aboriginal woman who was assaulted and narrowly managed to escape with her life, made a speech to the Assembly of First Nations last week. Her ordeal has called renewed attention the hundreds of missing and murdered aboriginal women in the country, and her bravery in being publicly identified helped arrest the men who allegedly attacked her.

Egg Freezing Goes Mainstream (Ish)(07 of13)

For women who want the option of putting off having kids (or are still unsure about having them at all), more and more companies (most famously this year, Apple and Facebook) are offering egg freezing as part of their benefits packages. While some felt this could add pressure to work even harder at your job, we say choices are a good thing. (credit:Science Photo Library via Getty Images)

Breastfeeding In Public(08 of13)

We're not saying that women have managed to win every battle over feeding their babies in public, but when you have a male, teen Starbucks barista on your side, you know it's becoming less of an issue. (credit:Johner Images - Nyman, Fredrik via Getty Images)

Mutual Respect For All Moms(09 of13)

Mom guilt didn't go away in 2014 (and let's be honest, probably never will), but one blog post on our site by a doctor and mother from Australia completely blew up in the best way possible. In it, Dr. Carolyn Ee perfectly explains both sides of the stay at home/working mom quandary — and reminds mothers they're all really in the same boat.

Female Superheroes(10 of13)

With the change from a male to a female Thor this year, Marvel Comics demonstrated its serious commitment to getting all those lady dollars — and we couldn't imagine investing our money in a better place than stories that show strong, tough women who can act as role models for young girls.

Laverne Cox On Time(11 of13)

As the first transgendered person on the cover of Time, Laverne Cox became the face of a new way to define gender. "This is for my trans siblings out there and for anyone who has ever been told that who you know yourself to be at your core is not legitimate," she wrote on Facebook.

Men Making Their Families A Priority(12 of13)

Dads have always played a massive role in family life, of course, but this year, it was at the forefront. The combination of a couple of high-profile stories of fathers leaving their jobs to spend time with the kids, like Mohamed El-Erian and Max Schireson, and commercials (like this Cheerios one) that worked to change the perception of dads, showed a marked change in assumed stereotypes.

Laughing In The Face Of Oppression(13 of13)

When Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arinc made statements to the effect of, "[A woman] should not laugh loudly in front of all the world and should preserve her decency at all times," Turkish women responded by posting pictures of themselves with wide grins, looking both decent AND gorgeous, under the hashtag #direnkahkaha.

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