fem·i·nism
“the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.”

If you believe in the equality of women and men in all aspects, then you, my friend, are a feminist.

A feminist is not a man-hating, homicidal extremist. It is anyone who believes that gender should not define power. To remove the word “feminism” from the English language is to remove the idea that women specifically have had to fight for equal rights throughout the history of the world. To say that the word has too much of a “feminine connotation” for men to want to join is just another example of a patriarchal society that sees women as subordinates rather than equal.

The word “feminism” has been tarnished by people who believe that all feminists are extremists and would prefer to murder all of the men in the world. There are extreme feminists, and then there are normal everyday people that don’t believe their gender should define them as being more or less powerful in society. There is no such thing as a moderate feminist. You cannot say, “I do not believe women should make as much money as men for doing the same work, but I guess they should be able to breathe.” You either believe in equal rights between men and women or you do not.

One of the more popular movements of Internet users has been “Women Against Feminism.” The best part about this movement is that every example they give to not want feminism happens to be the very definition of what feminism is! Some examples of photos women have posted are: “I don’t need feminism because I enjoy being feminine.” Well as it turns out, the feminist movement is all about promoting the idea of being feminine as being equal to being masculine. They would like to remove the stereotype of “throwing like a girl” and “you just got beat by a girl” by showing that you do not have to be a man to accomplish things.  It is about being able to do whatever you please. If you are a woman against feminism it is like saying, “No! I do not want the right to breathe without a man’s permission!” The feminist movement aims to promote the idea that women should be able to do whatever they want with their bodies and lives without the influence of men.

The idea of feminism is equality, and nothing else. “Feminist” has been given negative connotations, but as much as I do not want to murder all of the men in my life, I am proud to call myself one.