"As far as we’ve come, all too often we are still boxed in by stereotypes about how men and women should behave."

What a good reminder that our representatives recognize the pressures of the stereotypes women, and men, face in our culture today. President Obama published an article in Glamour titled, "This Is What A Feminist Looks Like." In this article, Obama stresses the importance of being a feminist father. He gives praise to the progess that women have made through time, and ellaborates on the things he has personally seen change during his lifetime.

"I’ve witnessed how women have won the freedom to make your own choices about how you’ll live your lives—about your bodies, your educations, your careers, your finances. Gone are the days when you needed a husband to get a credit card. In fact, more women than ever, married or single, are financially independent."

Now, any human of political power has the ability to praise civil rights--for everyone. Because praising history makes them proud to be an American. But it is how Obama applies this that makes his praise different. He writes that some changes that will allow for true equality between men and women cannot be changed by laws, but ourselves. Obama then condemns the expectations and realities that create this "box" of stereotypes for women and men. Mr. President says,

"We need to keep changing the attitude that raises our girls to be demure and our boys to be assertive, that criticizes our daughters for speaking out and our sons for shedding a tear.

These words have all the opportunity to be empty, to be just another speech in which the President is trying to gain the respect of the American people, but in this case, President Obama becomes Barack Obama, sharing a piece of his heart and story with us, so we can recognize that his words are not empty. They are filled with honesty, humility and heart. President Obama shared his experience growing up with a single mom, seeing first-hand the challenges she faced and the challenges he faced trying to decide what kind of man he was becoming. President Obama also writes about the challenges he has seen his wife face while raising two daughters. He admits that the burden of raising his daughters in an enviroment where they don't feel pressured to fit into stereotypes fell onto Michelle, admitting that shows so much charachter and truth within him.

Where the truth comes in, are the words of a father. President Obama talks about how much more prevalent gender stereotypes are. Him and Michelle have experienced how these gender stereotypes affect young women today.

"You see the subtle and not-so-subtle social cues transmitted through culture. You feel the enormous pressure girls are under to look and behave and even think a certain way."

This has shaped his characteristics of being a feminist. He stresses that it is important for his daughters, all daughters, to have a father that is advocating for their success, their true equality. He says, his daughters "now expect that in all men..." as every woman should.

So despite the political warfare going on in our nation and in our world, President Obama takes time to set aside an article that stresses the importance for change and promotion in all forms of equality. And if we, as a nation, are able to keep fighting for these changes, we may one day be able to wipe out the idea of feminism.

This article was bold for President Obama and creates a spark of hope. We are able to see the vulnerability within our him, and remind ourselves that he, too, is one of us, who wants change and equality.