Today I’m going to be discussing the f-word -- that’s right-feminist. Growing up, I never considered myself a feminist. Boys in high school would throw around the word feminist as an insult, as if being a feminist was unacceptable and that it was a word that should be avoided at all costs. I never truly understood what it meant to be a feminist until I entered college. During the fall of my freshman year, the #MeToo movement sprang into action. This movement was designed to allow women to speak up about the sexual assault and harassment they had endured at the hands of men. As it turned out, this movement had a huge following considering the majority of women in America had experienced some sort of unwanted sexual confrontation at some point in their lifetime.

I heard girls in my classes whispering to each other about uncomfortable situations they had to deal with, a good friend of mine even admitted to being sexually assaulted on numerous occasions. I became enraged. Until the #MeToo movement became popular I had no idea just how many women had to deal with sexual assault and the long-lasting effects that came with being sexually assaulted.

For the first time in my life, I had the overwhelming urge to let it be known that I was a female who deserved to be treated with respect and that I was equally as important and intelligent as my male counterparts. This is not to say that all men are corrupt, I know many men who are kind, loving, and genuine. Unfortunately, this is not the case for all males, which is why the #MeToo movement is a powerful tool that should be utilized by all self-proclaimed feminists as it illuminates how male on female violence and sexual assault will no longer be tolerated in America.

What I have learned is that to be a feminist does not mean you advocate for women to be viewed as superior to men. Instead, feminists stand behind the notion that men and women are equal and should be treated the same no matter their differences in gender. This equality should be extended to pay (the glass ceiling is very real...), political representation, and general respect in society. Men and women both have unique qualities that they are gifted with, but in order to progress towards a more equalitarian way of life, our society needs to celebrate the qualities that women bring to the table just as much as we celebrate the qualities that men contribute.

When young millennials begin starting families and having children it’s important that we raise our sons and our daughters the same. The excuse “boys will be boys” should stop being uttered as an excuse to defend disgusting behavior. It will be our job as parents to let boys and girls know the importance of being kind and treating everyone with respect.

To sum it up I will leave you with this-I am a feminist and I am proud of this decision. My children will be feminists and my grandchildren will be feminists as well. I know that supporting and uplifting my fellow women will be a decision that I will never regret.