Both among friends and people who only know me vaguely, I make it clear that I'm a feminist. It's something that I talk about nearly every day and that people know is integral to who I am.

It also becomes apparent when I talk to someone new - for example, if a man makes a joke that isn't funny or I disagree with, I won't laugh to save their ego. I try to be upfront about how I feel, especially in a situation where my feelings would be sacrificed for a man's.

I'm never going to put myself below a man. And I'm never going to put a man before myself.

The phrase "boys will be boys" has been criticized, especially of late, for its reliability on patriarchal history. Even when their actions are detrimental, we excuse the actions of men because they are men, regardless of what happens as a result.

Women are dismissed as paranoid and hysterical for simply living. They're put in second place to what men think is right, or in a spot complementary to men to not get in the way.

I constantly try to emulate the energy of early 2000s Amy Poehler on "Saturday Night Live:" in response to Jimmy Fallon's casual mention that he didn't like what she was doing because it wasn't "cute," Poehler unwaveringly said, "I don't fucking care if you like it."

Poehler established herself as someone who wasn't there to play an accessory to men and had her own agenda.

That's always been something that I've taken to heart: I'll never respect someone who doesn't respect me. Someone who fundamentally disagrees with my beliefs will never be someone who stays in my life.

I don't dismiss those who don't feel that way, but it's not realistic for me. I'm never going to make myself something I'm not for someone else and I'm never going to silence myself for someone who disagrees with me.

I don't think it's a fear of mine, but a concern - that if I somehow lost my way, I wouldn't be me anymore. I'd be someone I didn't like.

Stop me if I ever get that far.