Feminism (n.): The theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.

Feminists and feminism are both things that have been around for decades, and are not anything new to our society. Yet, recently, there has been extreme focus on the feminist movement, mainly due to current politics and the uprise of attention on women's issues. As a college student, I frequently find myself being self-conscious when it comes to being open about the fact that I am a feminist, almost as if it's not accepted. But when Iook closer at the topic, I realize that it's not the unacceptance of feminism, but rather the misunderstanding or misinterpretation of it.

The first wave of feminism was suffrage, and although women got the right to vote, it sure didn't stop there. Waves of feminism after that were regarding issues of rape, sexuality, the workplace, and reproductive rights. Furthermore, later waves of feminism included the acceptance of all women, no matter their race, culture, or economic background. Feminism is working towards a society that gives women a choice, where that was previously not an option. Feminism is not a bunch of man-hating, single women who want to fit in with a "trend", nor is it women fighting for equal rights that we supposedly already have. Here are a few misconceptions that are lumped in with feminism:

"Man-hating"

No we don't hate men. We simply want to be equal with men on every playing field. We don't want power, we want equality.

"It's a trend"

Nope, not quite. As stated above, feminism has been around since far before you or I were born. It is not a trend, nor will it be treated like one.

"We already have equal rights"

No matter how many times you try and convince yourself that men and women are equal, it is simply not the case. Women are consistently disregarded in politics, STEM tracks, and the medical fields -- not to mention the wage gap that exists in our society. Furthermore, sexual assault statistics state that one in six women will be sexually assaulted in comparison to one in every thirty-three men (neither of which is okay by any means).

As a feminist, I ask that although you may not support my views, you listen to what they are. We are all entitled to our opinions and this is mine. In a society where condoms are free on college campuses, but women have to pay for feminine products that they can't avoid having to buy, women are slut-shamed and men are praised, where women are raped and men are not charged, I ask that we as a society open our eyes to what feminism really is and fight for equality of all genders. I ask that we fight for the equality of everyone.