Who knew that in a time and age in which the world has instant access to millions of resources at our fingertips, there would still be such controversy and lack of education over one single word: "feminism." For anyone who is not aware, feminism is "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes," according to Merriam Webster Dictionary. Feminist does NOT mean man hater, female supremacist, or anything radical. Of course, like many other beliefs, there are radical members that can paint a false image of the belief's true meaning. It simply means a belief in equality between the sexes, and that is why it is for everyone.

The United States, while it is a great country, has a long history of oppression of women. This is most notable in the women's rights movement of the early 1900s when women still had to fight in the twentieth century for the right to even VOTE. This oppression still continued when the gender norms changed from their original states. In other words, there was the oppression of women in the workforce, and it still occurs on a smaller scale today, such as the "male-dominated fields" of math, science, business, etc. Today, there are women reaching high levels of education and entering all fields of work, which shows how far women have come in history, from not being able to use their voices in the voting booths to running for president.

With the changing gender roles and norms in American culture transforming as time progresses, this also affects men. While the jobs and skills of the genders have changed, there is still a divide in what is normal in behavior for each gender. Such as, what is proper for a woman to be like and what is proper for a man to be like. The stereotype that all men should be tough, emotionless, and have "masculine" bodies is also the oppression of those who do not fit what seems ideal to society. The sayings "man up" and "boys aren't supposed to cry" are forcing men into roles where they must keep their emotions to themselves and oftentimes not be who they truly are.

With this in mind, it is safe for me to say that feminism truly is for everyone. While it seems like a mostly female movement, just because the word starts with "fem," does not mean that the equality it seeks will be beneficial to only one side. There are countless issues being tackled by those who identify as feminists: the wage gap, intense laws of oppression in other countries, and so on. But one of the simplest issues it tackles is our views of the genders and our acceptance of them. Social equality can be achieved by changing our viewpoints from the rigid gender roles and transforming them into acceptance of those who do not necessarily conform to what is traditional. This makes feminism for everyone- the fact that everyone can feel more accepted and welcome in society.

Feminism is for everyone because this is a country that was founded for the sake of equality. There have been trials and tribulations in our history that has made us redefine what equality really is, and who deserves it, etc. But having gone through so much progress and change as a nation, we should pride ourselves on giving all citizens equality. That is, political, economic, and social equality.

Doesn't that sound familiar?